Since I have been in school, teachers have constantly tried new ways to prevent students from being on our phones in classes — phone cubbies, detention, suspension. Now, the state legislature has passed a bill requiring all schools and corporations to adopt and implement a wireless communication device policy that governs student usage of those devices, according to the Indiana General Assembly website. Although this may be a sigh of relief to many teachers, it has caused some backlash and fear among students and parents. Senate Bill 185 aims to fix one problem, the literacy and learning crisis in the United States that impacts the 40% of all students across America who cannot read at a basic level, but it does not account for the safety that comes with students having their phones or other devices with them.
According to NPR, there can be exemptions for students with disabilities or students who may need it for an emergency. The article also says that supporters of SB 185 say it reduces distractions in classrooms as well as cyberbullying. Although it requires schools to create a policy, SB 185 does not define what the regulations need to be nor what constitutes an “emergency,” which creates a gray area for school corporations and students to navigate.
On one hand, I believe reducing the amount of time students spend on their phones rather than learning is beneficial. According to the ABC News, students have been struggling to catch up to where they “should be” since the COVID-19 pandemic, which is affecting low-income students and schools much more dramatically, the article says. The literacy and learning crisis in the U.S. is incredibly concerning, considering it is still going on years after the pandemic. Given this, it seems like taking away distractions from students would be a perfect solution to fighting the literacy crisis — but it is never that simple.
My youngest brother is a high school student in Indiana where the policy states all personal communication devices must be turned off and placed in students’ lockers throughout the entire school day, with exceptions for students with an Individual Education Plan or 504 Plan. I can understand the desire of teachers to have students’ focus and engagement during school hours, but I also worry how this policy would affect students in the case of an active shooter or other emergency. An article from The Boston Globe uses the cases of Parkland, Fla. in 2018 and Uvalde, Texas in 2022 as prime examples in which students having their phones available saved lives. Of course nobody ever wants to think about the worst-case scenario, but, with the amount of school shootings in the U.S. every year of which there has been over 200 in the past 50 years, it is a valid concern.
On the other hand, both of my parents are teachers in an Indiana middle school where the same policy applies. They, as well as other teachers in the school system, are able to keep their phones on them during the school day, meaning if there was an emergency at the school, they could make phone calls. This is a small relief when thinking of the worst case scenario, but it is not a guaranteed safety. In the event of a school shooter, I think it would be best for students and teachers to have access to their phones so emergency services are absolutely contacted as soon as possible.
These two conflicting motivations make it difficult to choose a side. The literacy and learning crisis in the U.S. is very real, but so is the need for students and teachers to have the ability to get help quickly if the need arises, and there does not seem to be an easy solution that satisfies both sides.
