Since the start of the school year, the Grosse Pointe Public School System implemented a new policy regarding phone usage. Students are required to hang up their phones in a “phone caddy” at the start of every hour. On the first day of school, students were compliant with the new policy of giving up their phones. Over time, however, more students have not given up their phones.
In a survey set out by The Tower in November, nearly 75% of students during the start of class don’t turn in their phones to their teacher at the beginning of class and 96.4% of students oppose the policy. Callum Gilenski ’25 has noticed the policy’s negligence by students.
“It’s definitely not being followed. We’re not used to it. There’s so many different ways to get around it. I’ve seen students, when everyone puts their phones up, some just don’t and walk to their seat,” Gilenski said. “Phones aren’t doing as much harm as people think they are. If anything, it’s the computers that are the biggest problem.”
Many students have also abused their computers as a way to access social media. Students are required to bring in their own computers to use in the classroom for instructional purposes. Many abuse the fact that teachers cannot monitor an entire classroom’s worth of devices at the same time and use instagram or iMessage on their device. Statistics teacher Amanda Orban notices students abusing computers during instructional time.
“It’s a BYOD policy. Students can bring their own devices and if they’re choosing to use that for social media or other purposes outside of academics, that is essentially their own choice,” Orban said. “I think that for a lot of the time. students do not need to be on their device. So if they are on it, it seems to be for a non-academic purpose.”
The best way to approach this policy has been up to the teacher to enforce in their classroom. 40% of teachers have felt that administration has monitored their classroom to see if they enforce the policy or not. Responses heavily varied from never seeing administration to having multiple visits per week.
“I think they pass by the hall or they step into class and ask questions or they just kind of look to see, like, if students are on their phones. For the most part, I think, in general, they’re walking by and seeing if kids are on it or they come in to talk to a teacher,” Orban said. “They’re ensuring that we are doing our best so that we can apply to the phone policy with fidelity.”
Technology is increasingly influencing schools throughout the world. With the rise of social media and assignments turning to digital formats, both students and teachers are constantly surrounded by technology. While not all students are addicted to their phones, our lives are addicted to technology. School Psychologist Lisa Khoury sees the benefits of turning technology over to the school.
“You become so connected you can’t go anywhere without your device. It’s important to unplug daily so they have a break from constantly monitoring a device. Kids will go to sleep with it under their pillow, waiting for a notification,” Khoury said. “I think that it’s dangerous and that people need to be free from it for a period of time. It takes away from your concentration and your ability to relax in or out of the classroom.”
Teachers have shown immense support for the policy. In a survey sent out by The Tower in November, 93.8% of teachers at South believe that the policy has been effective in reducing screen time and that last year’s policy needed a change, and while the policy itself may not be followed by the majority of students, the main goal of its implementation has been successful. 60% of both students and teachers believe comparatively that students aren’t on their phones as much as last year.
“Overall I think the policy has been effective, teachers have been significantly more strict on people,” Gilenski said. “It’s been a massive problem, and while it’s not 100% effective, it’s a step in the right direction.”
