Senate Bill 1481 was signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe on July 9 to enforce a phone policy across the state of Missouri, otherwise known as the Bell-to-Bell ban. It completely prohibits students from using devices such as phones, tablets, bluetooth earbuds, headphones and personal laptops. Though people are outraged, benefits have been shown within the first months of school, according to missouriindependent.com.
The reasoning behind this ban is because electronics have been a huge distraction in classrooms, with students constantly checking their phones. The average student spends four hours on their device every day and gets dozens of notifications every hour. People depend on their devices, which causes them to not pay attention in class, and when students were told to put their phones away by teachers, some students would not listen. This would result in the teacher taking away the device, which is not a ridiculous punishment. If one does not listen after being told multiple times to follow a direction, then the correct discipline should be taken, according to uhhospitals.org.
Devices in general are horrible for mental health. They make people feel the need to isolate themselves and focus solely on their electronics. It may help some distract themselves from problems they are experiencing, but when the phone is used over and over again to relieve stress and anxiety, people become addicted. Being dependent on screens to create a feeling of temporary serotonin only makes mental health worse, according to bbc.com.
Now that there are no phones or any devices allowed to be out during school, it is harder to communicate during the day. However, students have been focused on talking in-person and not on a phone, and now students are seen to be more social and engage in class.
Many argue that restricting phones would be a huge problem in case of an emergency. However, the Bell-to-Bell law clearly states phones can be used during emergencies, so it is not a problem. It would not make sense to restrict device usage during emergencies because of basic safety precautions. If parents need to be contacted at any point of the day, students are allowed to go to the office and contact them.
It is understandable why some students, parents and teachers are opposed to this policy. For example, students used to be able to turn in paper assignments by taking a photo on their phone and submitting it. Now, some teachers require you to take a photo of the assignment once you get home, and obviously many students will forget. It also is a point that parents can not get a hold of their children as easily. If a parent wants to ask their student a question or let them know something important, texting is easier than pulling the kid out of class.
Many people of the older generation argue that they did not have devices in school and lived perfectly fine—good for them—but the world has changed, and they need to realize that. Communication is different nowadays due to technology and our society is adapting to that. Having this policy disrupts how students previously got their information and spoke, but students are going to have to adapt to this change. It is their fault it has ended this way. If they had used their technology responsibly, this would not be an issue.
