Granite school districts’ new no phone policy is a rule that bans the use of any type of electronic device in the classroom. Granite covers the Salt Lake City area which includes 92 schools and around 62,544 students. They enforced this new no phone policy this current 2024 school year. However, between students and teachers, there has been much controversy about this new rule.

¨I think it’s stupid¨ are the exact words, Harmony Maiava, a sophomore at Kearns high said when she was asked her opinions on phones getting taken during school. She is one of the many high school students that don’t feel very fond of this policy.

When Jayda Nish, a senior that is also attending Kearns high school, was asked for her opinion about the rule she said, “The policy is understandable, but they can take better steps into it.” She added how she thinks that getting phones taken away is not the right thing to do, her reasoning being that all high school students need to learn how to have self-control with their phones and the future of adulthood and jobs.

When Aspen Parker, a health teacher at Kearns high was asked for her opinion on getting phones taken during school she said, “It’s reasonable as an adult to understand why a phone has to be taken away…when it comes to actually being in class your phone is not going to help you in any way for that class.” She went on to add how it’s a respectful thing talking about how many students watch videos or play on their phones when they should be paying attention in class. “It depends on if the student is being disrespectful on their phone…then I think it would be okay to take it away.” She talked about how as a teacher seeing half the class on phones during a lesson makes her feel like she’s not teaching well.

A granite spokesperson, Ben Horsely, said that phones are hurting students’ mental health, so both Harmony and Jayda were asked what they thought as the students. Harmony hesitated a bit when she was asked this then continued on to say she can see how phones make it hard to focus in class. When Jayda was asked, she said ¨I think phones are something that we have taken on as a big part of our lives. ¨ She then went on and expressed how she thinks phones aren’t necessarily the problem because students can use them to communicate with family and friends or use it as a source of entertainment. ¨I think students who have the wrong type of feed on social media can be affected in a way, but I don’t think phones are necessarily the big problem. ¨ she added. However, when Parker was asked, she said she absolutely agrees. She talked about how phones hurt us mentally and physically. An article by The Salt Lake Tribune talks about how Ben Horsely, who is also granite’s chief of staff, voiced his concern about the phones. He talked about how tragic it was to see how these devices were connected to mental health challenges.

The difference in opinions between the decision makers and the people affected by them are very obviously opposed. Who knows which side should have more rights.  How does your device affect your everyday life?