A new phone policy has been implemented for Timberland High School for the  2023-2024 school year. Phones are no longer permitted in the classroom, only before and after school, between classes and during lunch.

Disciplinary consequences for violating the policy range from dententions to in-school suspension.

Students, teachers and staff have mixed feelings on the policy.

“I can’t talk to my friends on Snapchat. It’s kind of annoying, because sometimes I will need to text my brother or mother and like, I will get in trouble for it,” sophomore Chloe Freeman said.

Teachers said they have seen classroom improvements with the new policy.

“I have talked to some of my students about it, and some of them said that they are more productive during the day. They are getting more stuff done at school and not having to take stuff home,” math teacher David Nielson said.

According to a study done by the Kaiser Family Foundation, as reported on the CDC website, kids age 8 to 18 spend approximately five hours in front of a screen for entertainment each day.

“I think we are going to see a lot of kids do a lot better, a lot more kids pass that might have failed, because teachers are already telling me that kids are turning in more work than ever before and have less missing assignments,” assistant principal Elizabeth Reckker said.

Many students agree.

“It really helps avoid a lot of stress when it comes to overloading academics. It helps to have the ability to get your work done when you’re supposed to do it and eliminate distractions on your own without having them forced on you,” junior Sean McDonald said.