Over the summer, the Derry Township School Board introduced Policy 237 for the 24-25 school year, effectively banning cell phones throughout the school day. Not one student was asked what their opinion was on the ban.

“Bell to bell, there is no cell” is the phrase being used by administrators and teachers to describe Policy 237, which requires cell phone use to be met by instant detention even during lunches and study halls.

Policy 237 needs to be relaxed.

Throughout the school day, students may need to contact their parents for several reasons. Coordinating how they are getting home, in the event of an emergency, and countless other possibilities could require time-sensitive communication between students and parents. Students are cut off from instant communication with their parents by taking away cell phones. Due to policy 237, students who follow the school’s advice by leaving their cell phones in their lockers would be unable to contact their parents in the event of an emergency. Consequently, parents would then be left in the dark, worrying about their children’s safety while unable to reach their phones. Policy 237 takes away the possibility of instant communication between students and their parents.

It’s not just students’ safety affected by the cell phone ban; it’s our education, too. In a 2016 study by the Pew Research Center, it was found that 73% of teachers believe that devices can be helpful for learning, however, teachers are being threatened with write-ups if they do not enforce the cell phone ban. Banning cell phones in class removes a teacher’s choice to educate a classroom as they believe would be best. In past years, teachers could restrict cell phone use if they chose to. In addition, many classes had designated locations to store cell phones from the beginning to the end of the class. Many teachers would even ask students to use their cell phones since many digital teaching tools work better on cell phones than iPads. In a June 2024 school board meeting, School Board President Lindsay Drew claimed Policy 237 was “not meant to be punitive,” but this seems to contradict the write-up policy for teachers and the instant detention policy for students.

Policy 237 is a safety concern for students and unfairly limits teachers’ ability to run their classrooms. We live in a digital world where cell phones are a part of life. If the school board’s plan to implement Policy 237 was to limit phone usage for the well-being of a student’s education, it would make much more sense logistically to allow phone usage during lunch and study hall periods when they are not being instructed to. A complete ban, however? It fails to address the real issues in our education system, and it takes away the rights of parents and students. We have a voice as students only if we use it.

If you want your voice heard, contact the Derry Township School Board and give them your thoughts on Policy 237.