The Mycenaean

Phones have always been an issue for students at Leesville, and as such, staff has enacted a new policy regarding them.

It’s fairly simple to understand: If the sign is red, students can not have their phones out during class time. If the sign is green, students can use their phones.

An example of this in use would be the red sign visible during direct instruction, where students should be paying attention to notes or a video. 

Then when the lecture is over, the sign might be green so students could use their phones during a quiet work time if they so choose.

In essence, this was the old system, except the permission was not given through a visual sign on the wall, but rather through teachers just saying “put your phone away during the lesson,” or “you can have your phones out now.”

“I think it is more strict on teachers having to worry about phones and the new policy to keep up with students who are used to being on their phones,” said Evan Smith, senior.

Students, however, would tend to ignore their teachers and choose to be on their phones anyway. 

And to be fair, the consequences didn’t seem too harsh from a student POV, and weren’t very strictly enforced.

This year seems to be the complete opposite. From the first day of school, teachers explained that if students are in violation of the school policy — whether they want to or not — the phone will have to be taken until the end of the class period.

Smith said, “I think that teachers that want to follow the rules are going to start slow with the policy and then do more and more towards the policy in terms of keeping up with it.”

Refusal to give up the phone if asked will result in admin being involved in the incident and could lead to suspensions based on the number of cell phone offenses.

However, this may not be a horrible thing. 

Smith said, “People can talk to each other more in class so people can interact and be more social.”

High school is an integral part of one’s education, and these policies are in place solely in an attempt to improve the education students receive.