Over half of the 2018-2019 school year at Hudson High School has already come and gone. With the new school year, came a new policy for the usage of cell phones in classrooms for all students, and students have not been reacting well.

Upon entering class, students are to turn their phones off and place them in a phone holder located in the classroom. You must leave your cell phone in this assigned spot for the entirety of the class unless specifically instructed otherwise by the teacher.

Students have complained to staff and administration saying that they believe it is their right to have their cell phone in their possession as long as they are not misusing them. However, what a student considers the misuse of a cell phone, is totally different than what a teacher considers the misuse of a cell phone.

In previous years the policy on phones at Hudson High School was pretty simple, the students would keep their phones under their desks or in their pockets until the teacher had to turn around to write something on the board. Once the teachers back was turned, kids thought it was fair and not a problem at all to quickly answer a Snapchat or to post something online.

Now, students are outraged that they do not have all day access to their cell phones, and I find that quite sad. Electronics have begun to take over the lives of children everywhere to the point where if they can not use a device for the time span of 60 minutes, they do not know what to do with themselves.

I am aware that I am in the minority when it comes to my thoughts on Hudson High’s new phone policy, but I think it was absolutely necessary and has been beneficial to all students.

It is a well known fact that using a cell phone in class is a distraction to not only the person using the device but to the other children in the class as well. Use of these devices makes for an undesirable learning environment for everyone, including the teachers who have to constantly stop their lesson plans to remind everyone that phones should be turned off and put away.

There has been a major shift in the classroom dynamic ever since the cell phone ban began way back in August. The students have been more engaged in what is being taught to them. They have been asking more questions and adding their opinions more frequently to the topic being discussed.

Is this a coincidence? No. Am I surprised that this happened? Again, No. Cell phones simply have no place in the classroom and we have the data to prove it.

A better learning environment has not been the only benefit of this new policy.

Ever since cell phones have been out of the picture in classrooms, students have actually started to talk to each other during any downtime that is present in the class. This differs from previous years when students would just bury their noses into their phones if they had been given any free time.

Teachers who have chosen to follow through with the new rules in regards to usage of electronic devices during the school day are improving the quality of both their students’ education and their social skills, two things that are essential in this day and age.

Kids social lives have been changing dramatically in recent years due to the new wave of technology, which is introducing children to electronic devices at a very young age. Instead of talking to friends during lunch hour, now students just stare at their phones avoiding any chance of personal contact possible.

So yes, kids are going to keep complaining over how they can’t use a phone during class to send a text or to check their twitter feed, but implementing the new phone policy at Hudson High School was a much-needed step that had to be taken.