By Carys Brown
Photo by Carys Brown
On June 29th of 2024, Louisiana passed Act 313, stating that students cannot have any form of telecommunication devices on their person during the school day. The intended purpose of this act has been met with approval and indifference but the implementation and punishment while enforcing it has had divided reactions.
Certain schools, such as the Willow School, have had policies implemented before this law prohibiting cellular device usage was passed. However, with the recent law going into effect, students all over Louisiana now have to hand over their phones and devices to the staff at the beginning of each class until the end of class. For instance, staff must confiscate phones by collecting and putting the electronics in organized pockets.
Despite now becoming a law in several states, such as Mississippi, Nevada, and before this recent Louisiana law against phone usage. These existing policies were meant to encourage student interaction and social behavior towards fellow students, as well as decrease lack of attention to educational content. The Willow School, for example, prohibited phone usage during class unless allowed by the teacher or substitute for a specific educational reason.
Willow students largely seemed to agree upon the law, yet many thought it too strict.
“I think it’s pretty fair,” said freshman Jasper Jennings. “If this rule does stay, they should just let it be a little looser.”
Yet, unlike the students, the teachers did not think it too strict. Teachers believed that, with the law in place, students would have more in-person interactions and focus during class.
“I am happy about the policy being implemented,” offered AP world teacher Ms. Kirn. “I do think that cell phones offer too many distractions to students during the school day. We are a society very addicted to technology, and a break from one form of it throughout the day is a positive thing.”
“Overall, I am a fan of the new policy,” said stagecraft elective teacher, Mr. Persica. “I believe that it was a positive and useful change. Now there is no temptation of the phone in your bag or pocket.”
Of note, despite numerous interviews and questions, no one was entirely against the law, and most were either indifferent or supportive to the act. The most frequent objections were in the punishment.
If a student is caught with a phone during class, it will be taken away for a period of time then later returned. This is the punishment at Willow, and now it has spread to other schools because of the new law.
“The policy is fine for the most part, but the consequences are way too drastic,” says freshman Olivia Gelder.
Faculty disagrees on this end, believing that the punishments are fair for the school’s students.
“This is not a partisan or cultural thing,” English and Publications teacher Ms. Crockett said. “It’s happening all over the country and even the world. This is about kids and adults having very, very visibly shorter attention spans and constant distractions. Their brains are changing because of these things in their pockets or bags that are designed to cause addiction. It’s like expecting students to pay attention when they have a mini-slot machine in their pocket.”
Likewise, Kirn said, “I’m sure students are not thrilled about it, but I think their opinions will change with time. I would love to see more kids off of their phones and having meaningful conversations with their peers and connecting on a deeper level.”
