After two months of a “phone free-er campus,” students and staff have had time to reflect on the changes to life on campus.
Beginning March 4, Venice initiated its new phone policy that restricts cell phone usage during class time and passing periods. Its goal is to limit students’ screen time and help them connect more in person.
The Phone Free-er Focus Group—with main members biology teacher Julia Bare, English teacher Hazel Kight-Witham, and math teacher Jessica Quindel—aims to better adhere to LAUSD’s policy.
The policy prohibits the use of cellular devices by students while on campus during school hours, excluding lunch and nutrition. Even though the LAUSD policy states that students may use their phones during lunch and nutrition, each School Site Council can choose what parts of the policy they want to follow.
Although Venice’s policy has been in effect for a little over a month, some students feel nothing has changed.
Sophomore Jeannie Fischer talked about how many teachers aren’t doing anything differently in her classes.
“Many students continue to use their phones and the teachers don’t say anything,” she said.
She said that the only difference she has noticed is with teachers who were already strict on phones. She mentioned that Quindel is using the policy to enforce these rules.
Since the policy started, Dean David Galley said that they have received more phone calls from teachers than before. He said that administration is also happy to put in more effort if students are adhering to the policy.
As of April 12, Galley said that only six to seven people had had their phones confiscated for the whole day, he said it seems to be going well.
Quindel has been a strong leader in the phone policy. Even before the phone policy was enacted, she restricted phone use in her class, ensuring her students paid full attention in class.
Many students say not much has changed in her class, because she has always been strict about phones. However, with the new policy, she has the support from administration to intervene in student phone usage.
“The new policy helps give them a sense of security knowing their children won’t be on their phones all day and that admin can help with the more extreme cases,” she said.
