As the phone policy sets in at Joseph A. Craig High School, teachers are cracking down on taking students’ phones during class time. Teachers were told by the administration to enforce the phone policy in their classrooms, but how do the teachers actually feel about the new phone policy?

Peter Stuckey, a Biology teacher, says, “I think it is the right policy.”

If you ask any staff member about the phone policy at Craig, most will say that a policy has always been in place, however, this year is the first year that the policy will actively be implemented. 

“We’ve had bell to bell no cell for many years,” said Assistant Principal Monte Phillips. Out of all the teachers interviewed, most say that students are reacting well with the policy, however, Phillips said, “We are collecting anywhere from 5 to 8 phones a day, but the number is getting less and less.”

The teachers seem to love the phone policy at Craig, as many believe that phones are a source of distraction during class time, which causes students to lose focus and fall behind. 

Teachers also think that phones are affecting the grades that students receive in their classes. “I think that they were using their phones as a distraction so they weren’t learning as much as they were originally,” said science teacher, Stefanie Hanson. 

Even though the teachers said that they had no say in how the policy works or how they run it, they are still going to implement the policy regardless of their opinion. Although the policy may seem harsh to some students, teachers are trying to convince students to follow it by allowing them to charge their phones at the front of the room. That way, students are able to make sure that their phones do not get taken and they can have a full battery for when they are allowed to use their phones. 

After years of teacher complaints of cell phone use in the classroom affecting academic performance, administration has created a phone policy free of loopholes that works to address those complaints and ensure student success.