WOODBURY — Students at Nonnewaug are frustrated with the strict rules of the school’s cellphone policy.

Phone rules have been getting stricter ever since the end of hybrid learning. Nonnewaug’s cellphone policy requires phones to be away during instructional times and only out when permitted by a teacher. If parents need to get in contact with their children, then they would have to call the office.

But every teacher has different rules: Some have you put it in a phone pocket, keep it in your backpack, or keep it off your desks. Why do these rules exist? Why do phones affect classroom environments? 

English teacher Marisa Holtman said her expectations for phones are that they should be put away at all times. 

“Students become very distracted and aren’t completely engaged with their learning, so they miss out on instruction and assignment directions which can hold up the entire class,” Holtman said.

Holtman thinks phones are helpful sometimes.  

“I think it can be helpful when playing a quiz review on Kahoot or if there isn’t a loaner Chromebook in the classroom,” Holtman said. “I know that students do focus better when listening to music, so I think that depending on the task, having access to music will enable them to stay on task.”

Phones are mostly being used for four main reasons: social media, games, schoolwork, and communication. One of the most probable reasons for rules getting stricter in school is because of all the time students spend on phones during school. With 82% of high school students owning a cell phone, it can be quite a distraction during instructional time.

Still, students think teachers should lighten up on the cellphone policy. 

“I think they should be more lenient with the policy. I wish I could use it more,” said sophomore Skylar Chung. 

“It’s annoying because sometimes I will actually have important things I need to check my phone,” said sophomore Madison Ocasio.

“I feel the increased cellphone rules are pretty unnecessary,” sophomore Grace Lafferty agreed. “There are already a lot of strict rules in school.”

Some students are on the teacher’s side. 

“I think it makes it better for both the kids and the teachers so the kids aren’t as distracted and the teachers don’t get as frustrated by teaching us,” said sophomore Alex Chaberek. 

Students and teachers all have different opinions on the schools cell phone policy, but cell phones seem to be unavoidable.