The start of the new school year brought about many changes. Among them are new students, teachers, and rules. One rule in particular was a large change from last year, and it stood out to students and teachers immediately.

The rule is, of course, the new cell phone policy: Off and Away. As stated by the student handbook, cell phones must be “turned off from the first bell to the last bell of the day” and “kept in a zippered section of the student’s backpack or in the student’s locker.” This, in theory, will reduce distractions and stress for students during the school day.

The change was met with mixed reviews. Sophomore Camila Castellanos says “I don’t appreciate the new rule because I feel like it is harder to communicate with my family.” Many students echo similar feelings. “I feel disconnected, and if my parents make a last-minute change, I won’t find out until the end of the day.” said Thomas Koziol.

Other students think the new rule is pointless. Studies show that not having access to a cell phone during school increases focus, but many students say that they notice no change in stress and focus levels. Eighth grader Sawyer Straley noted: “it hasn’t affected me extremely since I didn’t use my phone often at school before.”

Teachers were also asked to try to keep their cell phones off and away during the school day. College counselor Ms. Mann says, “I don’t love the policy, but I think it can be a good opportunity to see how our phones affect us daily.” Teachers seem to generally be more in favor of the rule than students.

Marist is not alone with this change. Schools around the nation have been enacting stricter phone policies to control teens’ growing addiction to their phon3es. Off and Away is clearly still in the testing phase, and changes to the rule are expected as administrators reevaluate its effectiveness.

Only time will tell whether the policy lasts long term and how effective it proves to increase student concentration.