As the start of the 2024 school year approached, students at Pentucket were introduced to the “phone hotel.”

 For many students, they stood face-to-face with a new question: Is the phone policy another useful school rule, or a restriction on students’ freedom?

Mr. Casey’s “Phone Hotel” 

Senior Carsen Ventola expressed her annoyance with the policy, stating, “in highschool, [especially as seniors] we deserve a bit more freedom.” 

On the other hand, she also acknowledges some of its benefits. “Let’s be real, phones interrupt our learning,” says Ventola. “If something interesting is going on in your social life you are more prone to be interested in that versus what’s in front of you and being taught.” 

So what is the middle ground between limiting distractions and giving students the freedom they deserve? Freshman Sawyer Call expresses that if she could change the policy, she would change it so, “we [could] still have our phones in our bags, but maybe we can’t take it out, and if we take it out, we get it taken away.”

Pentucket teachers tend to believe that the cell phone policy has been a positive implementation. Physics teacher, Mr. Jacques states the new policy has “greatly enhanced all perspectives of class.” He believes that the policy was the support he needed to limit phone usage in the classroom. 

“The key here is a consistent policy throughout all classes, because a few years ago when I tried to really go against cell phones, with only me it’s hard, because you know, there’s no consistency.”

 Overall, Mr. Jacques believes the policy has “greatly helped students from being distracted.”

Statistics teacher, Mr. Hickey, who teaches mostly senior classes, sympathizes with many students’ frustrations. 

“I’m dealing with 18 year olds, they’re going to be adults, and they are going to have to be able to function in life and having a cell phone is a part of life nowadays,” Hickey quotes.  

However, Hickey also acknowledges why the policy is in place, because “unfortunately, a lot of policies that are there are because the majority of kids are probably okay with their phones, but the handful that aren’t become difficult.” Overall, Hickey thinks “it’s just easier to implement a policy, [and] it’s been a good change.”

Although the past three years high school students have gone without cell phone restrictions, the new policy may have been a step into a more unplugged learning environment.