As everyone knows, the school faculty and administrators have been cracking down on the phones at Convent and Stuart Hall High School. Some have even drawn comparisons between drugs and phones. However, people may not be aware of the law Gavin Newsom signed into action on September 24th. This bill has required schools in California to severely limit the amount phones are used in educational environments as it “interferes with the educational mission of the schools” according to the bill. Surprisingly, our school does not have to abide by this law since it’s a private school, nevertheless, Convent and Stuart Hall has been enforcing this policy since the new school year. 

However, this bill may positively change the school and have fewer people being “vegetables” on their phones during non-class time. As one can imagine, students have quickly formed individual viewpoints on this.

“I think the usage of phones is too widespread at schools. However, I think it should be the school’s right, not the government’s decision to implement phone usage rules. I also believe that phones have become, for better or for worse, a very important asset to kids and should not be super limited,” says Junior Cabot Dick. 

Furthering the negative view of the law from students, Israel Beyene thinks “Making it a law is crazy and I think it should be based on what the school prefers” and “it’s weird we follow this law even though we don’t have to.”

However, faculty may have more partial or positive views of the law. “I think it will be positive because it will allow students to focus on what they are learning inside of the classroom and not on social stuff outside the classroom,” says Ms. MacGarva. This perspective from a teacher on the phone policy shows how it negatively affects students’ progress in class and makes a teacher’s job more difficult. 

Ultimately, California’s attempts to crack down on phones are an attempt to prevent serious addiction and to keep schools purely for education. Trying to cut out distractions may not be commemorated by students, but ultimately will resonate with teachers more positively. However, some may argue that with all the problems California is facing, phone addiction may not be the most important thing to try and prevent.