Comic by Tatum Asrican
By Nico Jordan and Nelson Kerr-Ritchie
Riverside Students’ summer was interrupted by shocking news.
Like many states around the nation, North Carolina had implemented a statewide phone ban in schools across the state.
House Bill 959, passed on July 1 this year, bans the use of devices such as cellphones, laptops, and tablets throughout schools in North Carolina.
Despite having a policy in place last year, the new mandate has prompted Riverside teachers to take stricter measures, with some going as far as making students put their phones in pouches every day until class ends.
Many students have issues with this.
“I feel like I need my phone for my mom, or say there’s an emergency going on,” said senior Londynn Campbell. “I feel like that’s not really convenient when you’re trying to communicate with other people like your parents, your friends, so I feel like the ban is really not responsible.”
While most students oppose the phone ban, some see why it was implemented.
“I understand some people, like students, have a hard time focusing in class because of their phones,” said senior Alena Barrow. “It’s understandable if you have to put them up while your (teacher’s) talking, which is cool.”
Teachers at Riverside are just as divided. English teacher Rebecca Mumaw said it has made her classroom more focused.
“There’s a lot less kids just having them out, so there’s a lot less distractions in the middle of class,” she said. “I don’t have to interrupt myself over and over and over again to tap on a students desk to get them to put it away.”
But social studies teacher Nathalia Perez worries the ban may create more challenges.
“[Devices] definitely help the students who would not be paying attention anyways to sit still a bit more,” she said. “So I do see a little more classroom disruptions just because they don’t have an outlet or something to keep them engaged. That being said, I’m hoping that it does increase engagement a little more.”
