Phones have become a distraction; new policies restricting phones don’t seem to be solving the phone problem. Though West Albany High School already has a bell-to-bell phone policy, which states that students aren’t allowed to use their phones from the first bell to the last, Oregon just passed House Bill 2251, further restricting phone use in schools.
House Bill 2251 is a policy that would further restrict phone use in schools across Oregon by making sure there are further restrictions and consequences for students that have their phones in school. In the policy, there are certain exceptions, for example, if phones were needed for a school project, a 504 plan, or an IEP (Individualized Education Program); Ultimately, teachers would be in charge of how they implement the policy in their own classrooms.
Science teacher Kelli Backer expresses a concern about the new phone bill policy.
“I have never seen a distraction like that, it is the phones [that] have taken over,” Backer said. Backer also mentions how she is happy that Oregon is trying to do something about the phones because “There are always going to be things that distract kids.”
