The usage of cellphones in schools has been an ongoing debate now for a couple years, but over the years, teachers and administrators seem to have more tolerance for the mobile devices as cell phone policies have changed. In the Beaver Local School District, cell phone policies changed when the new facility began it’s operation and the use of iPads became more prominent. The reasoning behind the change in policy was that since iPads would be in use during classes and most likely lunches, it would be too hard to prevent students from using their phones by hiding them behind the school distributed devices.

In the high school handbook, it states that students are allowed to use their phones during lunch, between classes, or if they are instructed by a teacher to do so with no voice calls being allowed. If the students fail to comply with these rules, the phone may be confiscated, and depending on the number of offence, can be picked up at the end of the day either with the teacher or in the office with a parent. In the middle school, students are allowed to have their phones during lunch and before and after school, with further rules being announced by the teachers that the students have. If a phone is to be confiscated and the student refuses to hand their phone over, they can get internal or external suspension. Further infractions afterwards may result in internal suspension or removal from the public wireless connection. High school vice principal, Jim Ricardo, believes that the greatest problem with cell usage is that students rely on them too much and use the mobile devices too much. Mr. Ricardo added that he would like to see face to face interaction more than seeing students have their heads down staring at a screen.
With the more lenient policy, teachers have had to find ways to stop their students from using phones during class. The main way that teachers stop students from using their phones during class is by having pockets hanging on a wall in the back of the classroom. Students can put their phones in the back of the room in an assigned number, and can even win bonus points for that class depending on the teacher and the day. This method seems to work best, especially when the offer of extra credit is put in place. Other teachers allow students to have their phones on their desks, but upside down so the screen is not facing the student so they can not be tempted. Along with the screen facing down, the volume needs to be turned off so other students do not get distracted from their work if the phone were to go off. With this course of action, it is not as effective as having students put their phones somewhere in the classroom as they still have the devices in their possession, meaning they could still pick it up and use it.

Then there are teachers who do absolutely nothing about the problem. In classes where there are no strict rules about cell phone usage other than “don’t use them,” students can be seen on their phones. Those students are told to put their phone away multiple times, and they do until the teacher stops looking at them. Usually after being asked a couple times to put their phone away, the teacher will confiscate it and give it back at the end of class. If students are having their phone confiscated various times, then something needs to be done in that class. The most effective way that works best is, again, having students place their phones somewhere in the classroom so they don’t get distracted and can focus more on their education than what is going on in their virtual lives.