The Williston campus has been hit with a stricter phone policy as the 2024-25 school year begins. However, some students are finding benefits to no phones during class.

David Koritkoski, Dean of Students, announced that this year students would be required to place their phones in a numbered shoe holder before the start of all classes. Without cell phones being out during class, teachers are provided with a more attentive classroom. The deans want students to socialize with their classmates throughout the academic day instead of getting distracted by social media.

According to Williston’s official handbook, “use of cell phones or other electronic devices is not permitted at any time in any academic buildings, including the Phillips Stevens Chapel. In addition, students are not to use cell phones for any reason during established mealtimes in the Birch Dining Commons. Students are expected to silence or turn off their phones prior to any academic class and store them as directed by their classroom teacher. Cell phones may be used during class time only with express permission.”

The requirement for phones to be in numbered shoe holders is new to classrooms this year as well not using phones during mealtimes. In the past, students were asked to turn off their phones and either place them in a backpack or leave the phone turned over on the desk.

At the start of the year, Koritoski, mentioned in a September 4 assembly that students spend eight hours in the classroom or on the field for practice. He wanted those eight hours to be a time for students to interact with their peers and be present in class.

In an article written by The New York Times, on November 30 2023, titled “What students are Saying About School Cellphone Bans,” students said that they felt that restrictions would be beneficial because they would prevent their peers from being glued to their screens during the day.

However, some students argued that having their phones is helpful to text a parent in case of emergency or use their phone as another device for learning in class.

A student from Midtown High School in Atlanta Georgia, who was interviewed in the article, believes that “while the banning of cellphones may take some time to fully get used to, it’s a necessity for all schools in order for their students to concentrate and participate more quickly.”

According to the American Phycological Association, 37% of teenagers said they spend five or more hours on popular social media platforms such as TikTok or YouTube. With teenagers constantly on their phones, they miss opportunities to socialize or even have time to get their work done.

Excessive phone use, according to University of Rochester Medical Center, is linked to both physical and mental problems. These include eye strain, neck pain, depression, loneliness, mood disorders and disrupted sleep.

Students were asked how they feel about the new policy, whether they think it will be beneficial, and if the phone policy has made the dining hall a more social atmosphere.

Two boarding students The Willistonian spoke to believe that the new phone policy will provide teachers with a more alert classroom, and they already see benefits.

One student pointed out that even without phones, the Microsoft Surfaces students use for academic work pose a distraction in class.

Lola Neyens, a sophomore boarding student, thinks the policy is helpful because it keeps students focused on tasks during class.

“The phone policy is beneficial because last year people would be on their phones during class and would always have questions,” she said. “Without having our phones in class, it helps us stay more engaged and during mealtimes I’ve talked to more people and been more social.”

Acacia Nickeo, a sophomore boarding student, agreed that the new policy will help her focus, but she still has a concern about not having her phone readily accessible on her desk.

“I think the policy can be good at times because I’m able to focus better without my phone,” she said. “But in an emergency, I would want access to my phone to be able to contact my parents.”

She pointed out that surfaces cause another distraction during class because sometimes students could be doing something on their surface instead of paying attention.

Brooke Cherewatti, a sophomore day Southampton Mass, has a different take on the phone policy and feels that social media helps connects students.

“I think that it is definitely an adjustment for all of us: however, it has not made a huge impact in the dining hall because it is rarely enforced during meals,” she said.

She believes the phone policy has the potential to be beneficial but expressed that social media is a way for teenagers to connect and share things with each other,” Brook said. “I think having these rules takes away a form of communication for students.”

She pointed out that the dining has always been a very social place to hang out even before these rules were made.

Addison Perich, a sophomore day student from Westfield Mass, doesn’t “love” the policy but understands it.

“I do think we need to socialize sometimes,” Addison said. “I do not think we should have the policy, but we all need to try to talk to face to face more.”

Lastly, she explained how students should be able to check their phones for something little like where their next class is or when class starts.

The teachers and deans were asked how placing phones in the shoe holder helped the classroom environment, if they have seen fewer phones being used in the dining hall, and if they believe the phone policy will stay consistent until the end of the year.

Jessica Rohan, a middle school English teacher, has seen a decrease in cell phone use in the dining hall and in the middle school where she spends her day.

“In the middle school there are different options for putting phones away,” she said. The phones must be completely turned off and placed in a backpack or placed in a shoe holder. If a teacher does a phone check, and a student’s phone is on it gets confiscated for the whole day.”

To that end, Rohan mentioned that the middle school has great energy this year because students are rarely on their phones.

She noted, “In the dining hall I have seen a dramatic improvement in cellphones not being used.”

Associate Dean of Students, Kate Garrity, stands behind the new cell phone policy.

“I think it helps insure that everyone is doing the same thing, and it removes temptation for people to try to look at their phones during class,” she said.

“When phones are on desks or on the tops of bags, it is too tempting to look at it and takes up brain space to avoid it. With phones in carriers, it is possible that students will relax a bit more and increase focus on the lesson.”

Garrity admits the policy is “not perfect yet,” but he thinks it is “great that people are talking across the table more.”

Garrity believes that if everyone commits to the new policy, it will stick.

“We’re committed to making this change,” she said. “I really do believe it’s going to make our community a healthier place.”

Blayne Lapan, Director of Sports Performance and Sophomore class dean, agrees that the policy will be helpful in classrooms because students will not have the ability to look at their phones.

“It takes the temptation away from students to check their phones,” he said. It also makes it so that students do not feel the vibration of their phone from a notification.”

Lapan, like Garrity, believes the phone policy needs time to completely settle in.

“A rule change like this needs at least a year to really take hold on new and returning students, and its impacts won’t be felt for some time,” Lapan said.