OPINION BY JULIE WELLERT
As the students of Wadsworth High School know, rumors of a not-so-great change have been going around. People already know about how the students are all receiving Chromebooks. The problem is, however, there have been whispers about phones being banned entirely along with the receiving of Chromebooks. While there has not been any official decision, students have been concerned about it more than anything.
The most interesting part of this is the amount of emotion, or more specifically, worry, that is being put into a “rule” that has not even been set in stone yet. Currently, the rule is just a cloud of ideas looming across the minds of students and staff alike.
Will this really be a ban? Or just a limit? Upon interviewing students, they all preferred no ban at all, which was not a surprise.
“It’s one thing to take away earbuds, but a totally different story to take our phones away too!” exclaimed Kayla Roush, 10.
But why were they so protective over phones? Should not it be easier to let them take our devices away during the day? As much as people have hated to admit it, phones have become so ingrained in our society, that taking them away entirely would do more harm than good.
“People need to be able to contact their family. Some people also have calendar and notes in their phones they need access to.” Kristen Butcher, 10, said when explaining her own reason for disliking the ban.
With so many extracurriculars going on and such busy schedules, I have to agree. Having on hand calendars and notes throughout the day is super helpful. Especially to check if practice is cancelled, or moved somewhere else. Also having contact with my parents is vital to keeping my schedule in check. We make sure that we always know what’s going on with one another, and that everything is taken care of that needs to be
Then rises the concern of distraction. Phones can be a distraction, yes, but so can many other things. Like the urge to doodle, or that one idiot bird that keeps flying into the window. Sure, some students sneak their phones and use them for non-academic purposes, but that issue falls on them. If they miss a lesson because they cannot put their phone down, it’s their fault. The responsible students should not have to be punished for the irresponsibility of other students.
It’s saddening to see a kid’s grades fall because of this issue, but maybe they need to learn a lesson. If they can’t take charge, put their phone down, and start working hard and listening, that’s on them.
With this all being said, phones should not be banned. There are too many things that people need them for to take them away. Phones have just become part of life, and it’s a matter of accepting it. Student’s grades are also their own, and if they’re really going to sacrifice their grades, then that’s the student’s problem. The responsible students should not be punished for it. But after all, the rule isn’t in place yet, and the students of Wadsworth High School will just have to wait and see how it all goes down.
