In May of 2024, Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 250 requiring all Ohio school districts to implement a phone policy to prohibit the use of cell phones during class time. Over the summer, countless TikTok and Instagram posts were made saying Ohio is “screwed” regarding the new policy that will permanently change the use of phones at school. Now that the school year here at TWHS has officially started and is a few days in, one can only wonder if the social media allegations are true and how students and teachers are actually experiencing the new phone policy now that it has been put into action.
It is important to elaborate on the specifics of the law to understand its full effect on students. The Text of the Bill states that, “the policy shall do all of the following: emphasize that student cellular telephone use be as limited as possible during school hours, and reduce cellular telephone-related distractions in classroom settings.” In the case of TWHS, this means no phones out at all during class time or else there’s a call home, or, after a number of infractions, students would be banned from having their phones at school at all.
It is even more important to understand the reasoning behind the four-step sign in every room at TWHS.
“It was in response to an increasing amount of research that proved excessive cellphone use contributed negatively to student mental health, so our response to that was to take that information and see how it could be useful in a Thomas Worthington setting,” said Nathan Thornhill, assistant principal and the curator of the Thomas Worthington phone policy.
“When there was student conflict happening, we noticed an increasing amount of the drama starting on the cellphone,” Thornhill continued. “So, when we saw the rationale and the recommendation from the Governor, it made sense in the Thomas Worthington context.”
Avah Albert, a student here at TWHS read the phone policy, stating that she found it to be “Ok, but some students need their phones to focus, like for listening to music. I understand that teachers have a hard time with kids and phones but sometimes kids use them to keep engaged and as a tool for anxiety.”
The theme seems consistent across the student body, as most believe the policy to be unnecessary at worst and bearable at best. Students also tend to think that the phone policy is only needed for kids who are constantly distracted. If having a phone has never been a problem before for a student, why bother taking it away? On the other hand, if the phone has always been a distraction, maybe the phone policy isn’t so bad.
“It depends how the teachers enforce it,” said Albert. “Some kids will always slip through the cracks though.”
On the flip side, teachers seem to have a more positive outlook on the situation. They think it can solve a plethora of issues, both in and out of school.
“I think it’s fantastic!” said Alexandria Hertenstein, a Social Studies teacher at TWHS. “If students can jump this hurdle with the phones, they will have a better relationship with them as adults.”
