Phones play an important role in Ohio schools for many reasons. In case of an emergency, students are able to quickly call parents or emergency numbers. Phones also enable quicker communication from schools during lockdown situations or other personal emergencies. Besides safety, phones can be supportive in learning by offering students helpful tools and information. It’s obvious that phones have become a huge part of everyone’s lives whether you personally believe that or not, so instead of stopping students from using them, which only makes them want their phone more, we can teach kids to use them responsibly to help them get ready to go into the world.

Schools should update policies to make space for the positive contribution of cell phones to learning to accommodate responsible use, while still adhering to policies that minimize distraction and maximize focus. An article from the Graduation Program for Educators discusses how cell phones are not only important but even necessary at school, in that “Some proactive arguments for cellphone use include accelerated learning, access to digital content, and a communication tool to parents for student safety.” With the world the way it is today, with technology continually advancing, this is not something to have an opinion about, but rather a fact. Schools must accept this and figure out how to use it to help students learn. Mrs. Bourdakos believes that the Ohio government should not repeal or be more relaxed about the phone policy because “students’ brains are not fully developed and as a student and teenager you don’t realize how harmful it is yet.” She believes that it would be harmful to have increased phone usage since “even adults don’t know how to regulate phone use let alone teenagers,” and she knows that when you’re on your phone your brains are completely rewired. Although she concurs that phones are helpful during emergencies and safety matters, she still wants to uphold the policy strictly. I am not in agreement with some of these statements, not all students misuse their phones, and some can be educated to manage them responsibly. Phones are also needed for emergencies and communication, and taking them away completely is not fair. Conversely, 10th-grader Olivia Silver thinks the policy should be “more lenient” because “in any case of emergency, sickness or appointments, taking phones because people are on them is one thing but taking them for the whole period is another.” Olivia thinks that there are important applications of phones besides distractions and they should not be taken away for long periods of time. Olivia is correct because students may require their phones in situations of emergencies, sickness, or pre-arranged appointments. Taking away phones for an entire class period punishes everyone instead of the abusers of the phones.

Cell phones are crucial devices for school safety, communication, and education. During crises, students have to call their parents or the emergency services within a short period, particularly because they cannot drive. Although it is argued that phones are distractors, the majority of the students can learn to use the phones responsibly. Rather than prohibitive measures for phones, the schools should make their policies adaptable to accommodate the responsible use with minimal misuse. Because technology is such a large aspect of life, schools must adapt and prepare students for the real world.