As of September 12, 2025, we are already five weeks into the 2025-2026 school year. Five weeks of going without the ease of scrolling TikTok or opening your favorite game when class gets just a little boring. 

Yet, how beneficial has this policy been?

Unlike Yondr pouches, which physically require students to lock away their phones and devices for the whole school day, our district relies on teachers to enforce the policy during class. This creates a system of little change and effectiveness: teachers who already did not like phones will implement the rule, and unopposed teachers will do little to stop usage during their classes.

When initially drafting Assembly Bill 3216, the long-term hope of removing phone usage during school hours was to enhance student learning and classmate relationships. However, our current school curricula rely on Chromebooks and other computer-based devices to foster student learning. 

Would removing just the cell phone accomplish the original goal? I think not.

For example, students who previously had little interest in learning would not suddenly feel inspired and motivated to do so. Chromebooks for them would serve as replacements for their 5-inch doom scrolling rather than serving their educational purpose. 

One could argue that our district has already enabled teachers to manage such behaviors with the management tool GoGuardian. Still, it brings into question how many teachers will care to utilize the program daily, and the effectiveness of addressing those who are not on task.

Our modern world’s overreliance on social media and technology is no longer something preventable; we instead need to look towards solutions that involve inspiring our students to learn and be curious, rather than unrefined legislation.

— Aaron Limb

The current cell phone policy is an excessive take on the previous iterations of the cell phone policy, specifically the “off” part of the rule.  In previous years, the expectation was for phones to simply be “away,” either stored in pockets, backpacks, or, in certain classrooms, phone holders in the front of the classroom.  With proper enforcement, this rule was the perfect equilibrium between leniency and strictness.  However, no matter how much enforcement is in place, rebellious students will find a way to break this policy.  Even now, students are still spotted and scolded for having their phones out, and the latest “off” enforcement has also led to unintentional notifications and pings being penalized, even if the student’s phone was put away and completely unused.  Besides, having the phone completely “off” cuts off most of the student body’s adult responsibilities.  High schoolers, especially upper-level students, maintain a variety of adult responsibilities, such as employment and taking care of family, that they should be allowed to respond to at a moment’s notice.  With the previous iteration of the rule, this was possible.  If the phone goes off and it’s something deemed absolutely necessary, they could respond, albeit losing only 10 seconds of class.  However, the new iteration of the rule completely closes off this opportunity.  Fellow students could be cut off from an imperative interview to their dream school, or be fired from a job due to their inability to respond in time, and they wouldn’t even know it.  The policy has failed to suppress the rebellious, yet the oppression of the innocent continues to grow ever larger. 

— Aden Wang

Our phones have become common and a primary source for communicating, entertainment, music, and even schoolwork. As you all know, though we use our phones a lot, phones have been “banned” from classrooms. Honestly, in most of my classrooms, I never used my phone that much. I only usually used it because I loved listening to music during free work time in my classes, something I no longer have the luxury of doing. It’s not a big deal for some, but music is a central node for me to focus on what I’m doing. Without it, I’m forced to sit in a noisy classroom while struggling to finish my assignments.

Besides music, phones were used a lot in classrooms, such as Visual Imagery and several film classes on campus. They weren’t a needed device with cameras often available, but phones were a good backup device when a battery wasn’t charged or a lens was scratched. While the teachers might allow us to use phones in those rare situations, you never know if the teacher will be scolded for not enforcing the no-phone policy. 

Even though I can’t use my phone for music or class projects now, there are benefits to the no-phone policy. It is excellent to prevent kids from cheating and motivate them to learn. While many still find it easy to bypass the policy, many students abide by it, and their grades improve. At the same time, those of us who just used these devices to help focus or help with class work are now suffering the consequences of the students who misused their devices for cheating and not paying attention. Letting a teacher decide the phone policy per classroom would be best for our school, as it would allow the teacher to be the final say for what should be allowed and what should be prohibited in class. 

Altogether, the phone policy has some issues that could be changed in the following months as the district asks the opinions of its staff and students, but as it stands, the policy could be way worse.

— Evelyn Traxler

The new cell phone policy has caused mixed opinions among students across the districts, but if I’m being honest, the policy we have works very well. While I can’t speak for all students, it feels like nothing changed. In previous school years, I usually had my phone inside my backpack unless my teachers asked me to use it during class. 

The only significant change for me is that I can’t listen to music, and I can’t go on it when I’m done with all of my work. However, the initial distaste I felt has dissipated. I’ve grown to be fine with the policy. The lack of music when I’m working has made it a bit harder to focus, but I’m learning to adapt. For instance, when I’m done with my classwork, rather than go on my phone, I’ve started to either read my books or do work for another class, so it’s more beneficial to me now that I cannot use my phone, as I’m able to focus more on my schoolwork.

I think the main reason so many people are against the phone “ban” (even though we can still use them outside of class, so is it really a ban?) is because we as a society have become addicted to phones, and I’ll be the first to admit that I was too. I used to rely on my phone for entertainment, and I slowly stopped doing things that I used to always enjoy, like writing books or reading, because I was scrolling through Instagram instead. Now that I can’t use my phone, though, I’ve started to get back into my old hobbies and have found joy in them again. Overall, I am all for the new phone policy and enjoy it very much.

— Blaise Toledo

As a person who doesn’t use their phone very often, this cell phone policy doesn’t affect me as much as it may affect other people. Most of the time, my phone would be in my pockets anyway; now it is just the law. I do appreciate that our school doesn’t have us lock up our phones like other schools in the country. Those lockable bags, in my opinion, won’t help very much as they are unlockable or breakable. I think the current cell phone policy discourages the use of cell phones, fostering class engagement and interactions. I have already noticed just this year that students participate more in discussions and activities in all of my classes. This might be because phone use is greatly discouraged, so instead of going on their phone, students turn to interacting with their classmates more than they would have.

Of course, only time will tell whether or not this cell phone policy stays the same or undergoes stricter changes. I like where the cell phone policy is right now, based on the changes I have seen in my classes as a student.

— Addison Nicoll

Banning cell phones across the state of California has been controversial and generally hated by many students. Quartz Hill’s “off and away” policy is fair, but still enforces the new law effectively throughout the school day. Teachers are fairly lenient on the policy and give allocated time after work is done or at the end of class for this purpose. In my experience, it has not improved the quality of social interactions between students, but has had a positive effect on learning. Many students seem to have better grades, teachers are less frustrated, and everything is more collaborative. However, I feel like my own experience has not improved. Overall, it can be good for students, but as a senior, I just find it a bit inconvenient. 

Many teachers have framed their curriculum around digital learning, and although Chromebooks are effective for this purpose, the school’s infrastructure is outdated and cannot handle the massive amount of traffic throughout the day. The WiFi and the Chromebooks in general are often old and have shown many issues throughout high school for me, and it feels frustrating to use Chromebooks when a better alternative is right there. Being a predominantly AP and Honors student, I feel that it is up to students to refrain from using their phones and focus in the classroom. The course rigor is enough to keep students offline and focusing in class, but in regular classes, policies like this should certainly be enforced. 

Overall, although the new phone policy will show considerably good results in the future, it is simply too inconvenient for seniors who want to enjoy their leisure time in their last year of high school. Furthermore, the abrupt nature of this policy has resulted in little preparation and poor execution of this rule in schools, especially ours. With time, it will certainly be more realistic, but with its rollout, the cell phone policy needs polishing.

— Binh Nguyen

The school’s implementation of its phone policy has banned phones in the classroom. Limiting phone usage has become common across other districts, and now our district follows suit. The goal is to increase engagement by removing distractions from students. Overall, this rule aids teachers and the general public. There is a consensus that the distraction of technology is limiting and preventing learning in the classroom. I would have to agree with this consensus as well. Multiple schools have seen a positive change after implementing a new phone policy. While teachers have always been allowed to ban phones in their classroom, this has given certain teachers the push or the power to remove this distraction. There is no doubt that this policy does not benefit everyone. Students who aren’t distracted by their phones and use them in their free time or for communication may see this policy as unnecessary. However, while this policy hurts me, I can’t deny the general good of our school. When I enter classrooms, instead of seeing a sea of students head to the ground, there is a group of students ready to learn.

— Gibran Elmoughrabi