At East, a new policy has arisen for the 2026-2027 academic year. Students will not be permitted to use their phones in class during the school day. The school board is setting stone for this phone ban and trying to apply it to the high school.

The goal of the ban is to increase in-person engagement, decrease distractions, and foster focus in the classroom. This guideline aims to address the fact that phones frequently disrupt classes or distract students from studying.

Skylar Dubiel, a senior at East, has a disagreement on the phone ban and is very stern on her opinion.

“I don’t think taking phones away is fair,” Dubiel said, “sometimes we need them to contact our parents for an emergency. It feels like they don’t trust students anymore.”

Most students share the dissatisfaction, while most educators and parents can agree on why the ban is in place. The ban will help foster a more concentrated learning atmosphere and motivate peers to engage with one another in person rather than online.

Others counter that the prohibition restricts students’ freedom and that phones are a vital tool for safety and communication. Many students believe that the ban is overly harsh and claim that phones help manage coursework, monitor schedules, and allow them to communicate with family during the day.

On the other hand, others see the logic of a phone ban, although they would prefer greater flexibility, such as the ability to use phones during lunch or passing hours.

Ryan Velasquez, a Health and Physical Education teacher, has a very nuanced opinion on the phone ban.

“I am probably 50/50 on it,”  Velasquez said “I know that’d be a challenging battle, and I like how I monitor it in my classroom, and that during instructional time, we have a phone caddy that the students put their phones away, and then at the end of the period, they can get their phones, and they can check their phones throughout passing period.” 

As of right now, the new policy still influences everyday activities at school. As the year progresses, it will become more evident whether it enhances focus and academic achievement, but one thing is for sure for students at East: classrooms will become quieter and phones will remain in backpacks. 

Written by senior Finley Bruno. Edited by staff writers for Oswego East’s online news magazine The Howl.