As issued by the Roseville City School District, the students at Oakmont High School finally endured the long semester with no cell phones; let’s see what they have to say. 

Previously, the Roseville City School District developed a policy for its students. It took about nine months before the board of directors officially handed the new set of rules for the schools in Roseville, California. As a result, they began the school year with a policy that removed the most important item students held dear: their electronic devices. 

Students are now prohibited from using their cell phones for the school day. From the perspective of the staff, the policy is being taken in the right direction. Students are engaging in class discussions, maintaining their GPA, and prioritizing their studies, all without the use of their cell phones. It’s important to take into consideration that this is the first year the district decided to take action. 

Currently, the policy is still being tested to figure out if the students have truly made an impact on their school in the past few months. A certain method is used to assess this by rewarding students with “Minga points” when they are performing the characteristics of a Viking–which includes showing respect for the new policy. 

For the first quarter, the staff was able to accumulate the amount of students who contradicted this policy by assigning an Electronic Device Infraction (EDI). These are marked on a student’s ID card; the staff are given the upper hand and are able to catch these when assessing students. 

30 Minga points were given to students who received no EDIs for the first quarter. These points can be used to purchase merchandise and tickets for upcoming events. 

The students at Oakmont have strong opinions regarding the new district policy. It was definitely out of the ordinary for many students, since the district had the ability to remove the use of cell phones. Most students enter high school thinking that they are allowed to use their electronic devices, as younger students automatically know that cell phones aren’t allowed in elementary, or middle school. 

While many are still contradicting it, it’s clear that the policy has affected everyone in some way. Others find it shocking to observe how easy it is to get sidetracked from finishing your assignments. 

A senior, Elaine Wreschinsky, shares her experience with the new policy so far. 

“It made me more disciplined because I was less likely to go on my phone because I knew there was a punishment if I did, so it made me stay focused more,” Wreschinsky said. 

Ana Tuatonga adds to this, sharing her improvement in time management.

“I think when I was allowed to have my phone out a lot, I would just go on my phone instead of finishing whatever assignment I was doing in class–especially during intervention time,” Tuatonga explains. “And now, I’m more productive with my time and I get most of my work done in class, which is good for homework.”

Teachers and students alike are beginning to push themselves to not only see the negative sides of the policy, but the positive attributes of it. As we all know, social media circulates around high schools and it’s difficult to stay on task at times. 

However, it’s taken a great deal for these students to make an improvement from their past habits. 

The policy has definitely set high expectations for their students. However, many believe that this change hasn’t affected their performance at school–as there are students who need it more than others. 

Celine Puka, a senior at Oakmont shares her perspective. 

“I think for students that struggle with keeping their phone away, it is a good policy because it kind of just removes that distraction,” Puka said. “But for students like myself that didn’t really struggle with it, I kinda do miss like, listening to music or just being able to peek at my notifications.”

Jerrell Reyes, a senior at Oakmont, also shares his experiences. 

“Obviously I’d probably prefer to have my phone out cause it’s just there if I need it or just if I have spare time or anything,” Reyes said. “Otherwise, it’s not really that big of a problem for me.”

 Many sophomores are starting to notice the effect of the policy through engagement amongst their peers, such as participating in class discussions or being dedicated to working with other students. The cell phone policy has definitely been taking a step in the right direction, as this was one of the goals that the staff are trying to achieve. 

Samantha Joseph shares her observations.

“I also did see the teachers have a lot more fun in their classes, just because the students look like they were paying attention more,” Joseph said. “ [My] classmates are actually very active in communicating with everybody else and stuff.”

As the semester is coming to an end, the Oakmont Vikings have made it clear that the cell phone policy is a change that’s going to take time for everyone to adjust to. Whether the restrictions have made it easier or more difficult for students, the most important aspect of the cell phone policy is the effort and collaboration that occurred in the past few months. 

Now, are you using your cell phone without permission or enjoying this article outside of class? Watch out for those EDI’s!