As a new school year begins, so do the new policies. This year, around 55 percent of Los Altos High School students have a new phone pouch policy in most of their classes, according to a Talon Instagram poll where 345 students responded. The teachers who use this policy require students to put their phones in pockets prior to instruction.
In 2019, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill AB 272 into law, allowing school districts to limit smartphone use during school hours. Five years later this summer, he wrote a letter to California schools urging the restriction of smartphone usage, citing multiple districts that found positive outcomes in grades, test scores, and focus.
“The evidence is clear: reducing phone use in class leads to improved concentration, better academic outcomes, and enhanced social interactions,” Newsom said.
Some teachers find this policy beneficial when implemented in their classroom environments. Before using this phone policy, math teacher Hector Arias struggled to prevent students from being off task on their phones.
“I’ve seen a drastic difference in engagement,” Arias said. “I can tell there’s a lot more students paying attention, and there’s not this constant need to check their phones.”
Students, on the other hand, have mixed opinions on the phone policy.
“If the kids in a class are always on their phones and constantly distracted, then the class should have the policy,” junior Anita Lipson said.
“I don’t have any issues with the policy, except for when I want to listen to music during work time,” junior Caila Kim said.
“It’s just a hassle if someone is trying to reach me,” junior Cami Burnham said. “I’ve had people call me because there was an emergency and my teacher wouldn’t let me get my phone.”
In a Talon Instagram poll in which 345 students responded: 52 percent of them said “No,” and 23 percent of them said “Yes” when asked whether the phone policy improves focus in class or not. The poll was done on social media and only reached a limited number of students, so it’s likely that the data doesn’t accurately represent the views of all students.
“I also think that in general, whether students want to admit it or not, I do think students are also realizing the benefits as well because I’ve had zero pushback,” Arias said.
“If students want to have their phone out and let it be detrimental to their learning, they can choose to do that,” Cami said. “But others shouldn’t have their phones taken just because of a couple exceptions.”
As a whole, reactions to the new policy have been mixed. It’s possible that the student and teacher body will have more developed opinions later in the year, when the phone policy has been implemented for a longer period of time.
