Editorials are based on the majority vote of the newspaper staff’s opinion on a topic. This editorial is about the current phone ban. 

The 12 members of the newspaper staff agree that the phone ban is excessive.

Are phones a big part of why some students can’t focus? Absolutely.

But there are a million other options.

For example, maybe phones are kept at the front of the room until a lesson is over, or their assignment is done. 

Maybe more teachers could implement short 5-10 minute breaks into their daily classroom routines, like history teacher Chris Brittingham.

While Brittingham agrees with the current phone policies in place, he still believes that breaks halfway through class are important.

“I think short breaks in the middle of a class offer a lot of benefits mentally and emotionally for students in block sessions of 80+ minutes,” Brittingham said. “I like dividing up my lesson plan into roughly two 40-minute periods with a few-minute break in between.”

English teachers Matt VanBoening and Ed Belsan also make sure that there is a break in their classes.

Maybe someone is going through a tough time in their life, and they need support.

It could be from a friend, a parent, or a family member.

Breaks offer a chance to answer important messages if needed.

But we can’t even have phones at lunch?

“I’m not affected much by the phone ban because I’m in hard classes, but not having it at lunch makes me upset,” sophomore Asher Turner said.

Some people have extreme social anxiety.

What if you don’t have anyone to sit with at lunch?

Some teachers have offered the solution that you should just sit with a random person and try to be their friend.

That would be a great answer if we lived in a kind world like that, but it is simply unrealistic.

Kids are mean.

What about the kids who can’t work in silence?

We can’t have headphones or earbuds either.

People have different learning styles. Not everyone can work for 8 hours straight in silence. Again, an expectation like that is very unrealistic. 

No matter what, there will be people who sit on their phones for the entire day; it’s inevitable at this point in time.

But most students want to graduate. Most students are going to care enough about themselves and their grades to not waste their time in class. 

“I think we will get used to it, but I don’t think it should be in place during lunch, and when we are done with our work. We should be able to be on them,” sophomore Alexys Hill said.

At the end of the day, there are numerous alternatives.

Having students limit use on their own personal property makes school feel like a prison, and makes it less enjoyable. 

No one likes being micro-managed. If someone has a real problem with being on their phone, there are further options to take up. 

And if someone makes that choice, they’ll have to deal with the consequences. 

People who can balance their school work and phone usage should not be punished because some people don’t care. 

Most people do.