Editorial: phone policy draft raises concerns

We at The Olympian believe that the new plans for next year’s school phones policy are concerning. While similar to the current device regulations, the draft rules affecting emergency situations raise issues. 

In the newly drafted plans for next year’s device policy, a move recently mandated for all schools across California, district officials have proposed more robust regulations. 

One of these policies includes the prohibition of taking pictures and filming during emergency events, alongside the general prohibition of using devices until students reach designated safety areas. 

Based on how previous emergency events were handled this school year, we believe that it’s pivotal for students to be allowed to use their phones during these times. The lack of communication from the administration during past incidents led to confusion and misinformation amongst students. Most students only learned about what was going on through communication with their parents, who had received some information, and word of mouth. 

While we understand that the intention could be to stop the spread of misinformation, it does feel like the administration is instating this policy as a way to control the narrative of how these events play out. The ability to document emergency events, such as the bomb threat and gun scare last fall, can hold higher authorities accountable for missteps.

By including something like this in the phone policy shows that the district is aware of the controversy behind their handling of the situations; however, we do not think it appropriately addresses the problem many students, teachers, and parents all have regarding campus safety. 

A separate conversation needs to be held between the district and the community that properly communicates our own concerns with how emergency situations have been handled in the past, and how we can improve both the handling and communication of another incident. 

While we find this specific clause concerning, we do believe that the overall policy draft is student friendly.