WOODBURY — The start of the 2023-24 school year has brought a lot of new changes to Nonnewaug, the most prominent being a new principal and the controversial cellphone policy. With a phone policy previously being present but rarely strictly enforced, this year is the start of a different environment for the Nonnewaug student body.

While it’s clear that students should prioritize their classwork in school and not have any distractions, Marisa Holtman, an English teacher, believes some exceptions need to be present.

“[The cellphone policy is] very beneficial to the classroom environment; it enables students to be present in their learning,” Holtman said. “Exceptions depend on the classroom and the activity. I know that I have projects where students need to record or create videos.”

Every teacher has different views on the matter, but many agree that phones can have their place in the classroom. Eric Birkenberger, a floriculture teacher, understands that cellphones can be used in an educational way.

“I think leaving it up to the teacher to make their own exceptions is important,” Birkenberger said. “In my class, we create a lot of stuff and work in the greenhouse, so I encourage my kids to take out their phones to take pictures of their arrangements. It’s for educational purposes.”

Other elective teachers, like art teacher Leeza Desjardins, acknowledge that cellphones aren’t always bad and can be quite a helpful tool in the classroom.

“If you have to use it as a tool, then you should be allowed to use it,” Desjardins said. “In art, we use it as a tool in the classroom; for instance, we have to take a photo of whatever we’re drawing and we have to be able to zoom in, and you can’t zoom in on a Chromebook. We use it as a tool. I make everybody put it on do-not-disturb [mode] so that it eliminates any disruptions.”

While almost all teachers realize that the cellphone policy is necessary to reduce distractions in the classroom, many teachers also agree that depending on the class, cellphones can actually be a useful resource.

“With today’s advancements in technology, I think it’s good to put it to use,” Desjardins said. “But use it in the right way, and do not abuse it.”