As phones are a vital tool in our day-to-day lives, Fenton Area Public School (FAPS) has implemented a new controversial phone policy this year, sparking debate between students, teachers and the policy itself.
Phones have caused issues like not paying attention, cheating and gossip. FAPS has decided to take action by implementing a more stringent policy regarding phone-use during school hours.
From the Fenton High Student Code of Conduct on the FAPS website, the first time a student’s phone is taken, the student will be able to pick it up at the end of the day from the main office. The second time, the student’s guardian will be warned of the student’s actions but the student will still pick it up. A third time results in the parent being required to pick it up from the office. The fourth incident results in the student being able to pick up their device at the end of the day, but the student will be subject to a locker search. The fifth through seventh incident will have in school suspension, starting at one day and increasing by two after each case; ending at five.
With the pressure from this policy, there will not be as much of the aforementioned issues, leading to a more positive school environment and an increase in grades as students are less likely to try using their devices during and in between classes. A study done in Norway and Belgium showed that student grades and GPA would actively increase as time passed while getting used to the phone policy much akin to FAPS’s.
According to an article published from Lansing City Pulse in 2024, when both East Lansing and Lansing high schools went through with their ban in classrooms during the fall of 2022, it took a moment for students to adjust to their new policy as the year began. However, after time it was shown that staff had improved as they had more instructional time as they didn’t stop as many students on their phones. While the class time was managed better, students were shown to warm up and start doing what they’d do in the middle of class during lunch.
With all the positives from phone policies, it has been made clear that the FAPS phone policy should stay with the school and become the new normal for future years to come.
