Masuk Free Press

With the start of the 2024-2025 school year, Masuk introduced its newest cell phone policy which has sent shockwaves through the student body. Each classroom has “phone lockers” designed to store students’ phones during class periods. This new policy has received a lot of backlash from students, but many are unaware of the positive effects this could have. 

Rumors spiraled over the summer among students about the legitimacy of this new policy, many denying that it would happen. However, on the first day of school, it became a reality for many. They watched their precious devices get stowed away in styrofoam sleeves, and locked away in a metal box for 75 minutes. 

“My friends and I during the summer were talking about it and how we did not think it was real,” said senior Deanna Ganino. “But when we came in on the first day of school we saw the boxes and realized it was true.”

The hallways are also a phone-free space when class is in session; even a bathroom break cannot save them from the separation. Students can only access their phone during passing periods, lunch and study halls. Even during the school year’s first fire drill, teachers could be observed lugging their phone lockers containing their student’s phones outside with them. 

“It is a huge hassle; watching teachers bring out their phone lockers during a potential emergency when we could have just had them in our backpacks,” said senior Portia Lisanti.

Teachers have gone as far as continuing to enforce the policy during an emergency situation. Following the stay-put that occurred last week, students and parents were angry that even when the safety of their children was at risk, students were still denied access to their cell phones. No matter the situation, there is no way around this new policy.

“My classmates and I did not get access to our phones during the stay put and they were blowing up in the locker with texts from our parents, and we were not allowed to respond,” said Freshman Quinn Cottrell.

Students feel that they were not given a chance before administrators jumped to the extreme. Especially after following the three-strike system from last year, which was notorious for not being enforced by teachers. This year, however, teachers have strictly enforced the new policy, no matter if it is a senior elective or a freshman class. 

“I understand why we have it, but I feel like we just jumped to conclusions,” said Lisanti. “Especially seniors, I think we should be able to put it in our bags, and then use the box if it becomes a problem.”

Students have voiced the idea of regulating phones based on class behavior because they find it unfair that those who do not go on their phones in class are also getting punished. Additionally, others have pointed out that high school students are old enough to be responsible and accountable for their learning. But as of right now, the policy seems set in stone for this school year. 

“Last year in all my classes everyone was following the old policy and no one was on their phones,” said senior Isabela Lucca. “But now our phones are always locked in a box no matter what.”

Contrary to popular belief, this new policy was created with the students in mind. The goal of the new policy was not only to limit the use of phones inside the classroom and promote learning, but to encourage students to interact with each other face to face without the distraction of a phone.

Within the first couple of days of school, the policy has already been successful with these goals. Teachers have already observed an increase in peer-to-peer collaboration, classroom participation and engagement.

Masuk is not the only school to have started a phone ban. Many other schools in the state and across the country have created their version of a phone ban in an attempt to try to curb the epidemic of student phone addictions. Some are even more extreme than the policy at Masuk, taking phones for the entire school day where students can only access them at dismissal. 

As the school year starts, the Masuk student body has to learn to adjust to this new normal.