Texas silences phones in schools as House Bill 1481 becomes law.
House Bill 1481 went into place on September 1, changing the extremity of consequences for a person caught on their phone. This law covers not only phones, but also smartwatches, AirPods and other non-school issued electronic devices. Students caught on their phones could face consequences as severe as taking the phone to the front office and having to pay to get it back. Many wonder why the state, school districts and school boards care so much about phones or AirPods. Teachers have their own opinions of the policy and the possible benefits for student learning.
“The policy is definitely beneficial.” Teacher Samuel Smeaton said. “Engagement and work quality have both improved with phones out of the picture. Without the temptation or the ability to use the phone without consequence, kids are forced to be more mentally present, and that has real positive effects in the classroom,”
School boards have discussed this policy for many years, and, now that it is law, many hope that this new restriction will improve student averages and participation. Some foresee that getting rid of cellphones could improve declining social skills such as face-to-face conversations, better work ethic and more presence at school.
“Work is less rushed, and engagement with classmates is way up,” Smeaton said, “but my support of the policy has to do with the real world consequences of compulsive phone use among kids. Anxiety and depression are spiking, IQ averages have taken a hit, attention spans have been flattened, reading comprehension has declined, and face to face social interactions have become harder for many kids…”
On the other side of the coin, students have a separate opinion on the matter, one opposed to that of the teachers’.
“I think that it doesn’t make much of a difference on the amount of work that gets done.” says sophomore Eben Arias. “Between chromebooks and other students, there are more than enough things to distract students who don’t want to do work. Banning phones doesn’t force kids to do their work…”
Other high schoolers also have negative opinions of the policy and its possible detrimental effects on classroom and academic success.
“I think it’s detrimental…” says Tavin Parsons, “There’ve been many times I’ve needed to text my mom or text friends about lunch plans but I had no way to communicate with them… I personally did not think it affected classwork with or without the rule, so the rule feels pretty useless”
Though many have a different side when it comes to the cell phone policy, all Texas schools must enforce the law. All positives or negative outcomes are still to be determined. Only time will tell if this will act as the best decision schools in Texas ever made, or one that does not have any effect at all.
