In an effort to keep students focused, West Ada school district has adopted a new No-Tolerance policy on electronic devices for the 2024-2025 school year. As per the policy every student must turn off their devices and place them in vaults before each class. Students will be allowed to keep smartwatches, but they must be turned off. There is an exception if teachers want to allow students to use their electronics for educational purposes.
So far, it’s been met with mixed reactions. When interviewed, Ben Angel, a junior at Rocky Mountain said, “These phone vaults are just so absurd,” when referring to the vaults that cell phones are placed in. Many students are upset with the new policy and are reluctant to give up their electronic devices. “They are really just taking our freedoms,” Ben went on to say. Often students claim that they are capable of multitasking, and having electronic devices will not affect their performance in the classroom.
But teachers seem to be on board. “At first I was kind of hesitant about the phone vaults, but I have noticed that when students have their phones in the vaults, they are actually talking to each other and communicating,” said Mr. Drlik, a Teacher at Rocky Mountain High School. Teachers report that more students are on task and learning when they don’t have cell phones to distract them. “They are learning these communication skills which are important in their lives, when they are able to pull themselves away from their phones for an hour and a half each period,” Mr. Drlik continued.
So far the policy seems to be effective with more students actively participating in their classes. If this policy will be permanent remains to be seen, but as of right now, WestAda School District has no intentions to change it.
Infromation on electronic device policy courtesy of the Westada Newsletter.
