By: Jocelyn Smith

         Hamden High is a school filled with pride and team spirit. Recently, that atmosphere has been altered due to a small handheld device. Cell phones are prohibited on school grounds except for in the cafeteria, and many students are not happy with this fact. I asked a classmate of mine what she thought about this strict policy and her response was: “I think they are doing a good job of making sure that we’re off of our phones, but they might be enforcing it a little too much. They sweep our phones away in the hallway and it’s a good way to get their point across, but I think they should be a little less strict about it.” She makes a good argument, and as cell phones are more and more frowned upon in school settings, teenagers are outraged and preparing to battle for their wireless rights. Her opinion made me wonder how the faculty could be less strict about phones, and a different student answers that question through her feedback- “I think that it’s stupid that we’re not allowed to use them in the hallway because if we’re not holding up people from getting to class, then I don’t see what the big deal is.” Overall, it seems that we should be allowed to use our cellphones in the hallway, especially because we’re not learning in the four minutes we use to pass between classes.

Could it even be possible to bring cell phones into the classroom and think of them as an aid to students? A peer of mine argued that we should also be allowed to have access to our devices in class, to help students learn. She says, “I think that it’s dumb because we’re in high school. We don’t need to be told that we can’t use our phones or that we can’t use it unless we are in the cafeteria. You can still use your phone and do well in class. Sometimes it’s better for the student because some people like to listen to music in order to focus. You have to let them use their phone sometimes in class.” The majority of Hamden High School students are not satisfied with this ongoing debate about cell phone usage, and we demand a change. Our learning experience is affected by how comfortable we are in this environment. If used properly during class, cell phones could show positive results in student grades and policies.