New Phone Law Enforcement

By: Hazel Tomblin

The state of Indiana created a new state law that forbids students from using wireless communication devices during instructional time. Instructional time is a time in which students are participating in an approved course, a curriculum, or an educationally related activity under the direction of a teacher. The state of Indiana created this law because there were major problems state-wide in schools of phone usage during class. Some teachers and students are thankful for this law.

“Yes, without being on our devil devices during class we are starting to become more like real humans. It has been fantastic,” said history teacher Kyle Klinge. “I really appreciate how respectful our students have been in keeping their devices out of sight and out of mind.”

The students of Culver believe there are better alternatives to the phone regulations. Some people think this law is too strict, some think it’s too laid back, and some are stuck in the middle. A popular opinion is how unfair it is for the good students to not be able to use their phone just because peers don’t get their work done.

“Personally, I can see both sides of the phone law like how some students do not complete their work and just go on their phones for the whole hour or how some get their work done thoroughly and then have nothing else to do,” said sophomore Brooklynn Lace.

For some students, it makes sense to them that when work is finished a student should be able to get on their phone. But before the phone law, many teachers’ had rules pertaining to phones, but kids still continued to not get their work done very thoroughly or even at all, so students tended to take advantage of the teachers. 

Students and teachers are told that students should always have work to do and shouldn’t have downtime during class. During the day, most students are busy with homework.

“The new phone law hasn’t really affected me too much. I work on school work during class time so there isn’t too much of a difference. However during down time I do notice it,” said senior Katie Schouten. “I have caught myself a couple times reaching for my phone and then having to stop myself. I miss being able to use it. I would do the Wordle and use it to write down my homework. So that has made it harder.”

All these mixed opinions prove there isn’t a “happy medium” for the legislatures to make having no phones in school as a state law. Ultimately no one can control this new state law except schools, and it can be postitive. In some teachers’ eyes, they see students learning and talking more. Interacting with other people will help students when transitioning to adult life more than if their nose was stuck in their phone.

“Students are talking with each other and I have witnessed on more than one occasion that it has turned into learning as well,” said business teacher Justin Croy.