This week, we got to interview two of the security guards around campus and one teacher here at Pasco High School. We interviewed them to see if the phone policy has actually been helping us students get better grades, and if the phone policy has helped us to participate more than we would before the policy.

(We asked the following questions to two of our security guards)

1. Do you often see students using their cellphones during class out in the halls?

Security Guard #1: “Yes, I always see students on their phones when they are not supposed to have them out.”

Security Guard #2: “Yes, I often see students on their cell phones out in the halls.”

2. What is an estimate of how many phones you take in a day?

Security Guard#1: “I don’t take many phones away just because I don’t like taking them away, so I give them a warning, and if they don’t listen, then I take it away.”

Security Guard #2: “At the beginning, the estimate of how many cellphones I would take a day was around 10, but now they told us to give them a warning, but if they don’t listen, we take the cellphone away.”

3. What is it like taking a cellphone from a student?

Security Guard #1: ” From the couple of cellphones I have taken before, some students make it a big deal and others just accept the fact that their phones are getting taken away, so it all depends on the student.”

Security Guard #2: ” It all depends on the student, some don’t want to give it up, so we take them to the Bulldog Way, and some just give it to us, so yeah it just depends on the student.”

4. Do you believe this rule is important for the students?

Security Guard #1: “Yes, I believe it’s important, but I also believe that there are more important things to worry about.”

Security Guard #2: “Yes, I believe this rule is important for students.”

5. Do you think cellphones are one of the biggest distractions for students?

Security Guard #1: “Yes, I believe cellphones are one of the biggest distractions for students because when a teacher is teaching, it’s a big distraction, it causes them to not pay attention, even though if they are used wisely and correctly, they can be a very helpful tool.”

Security Guard #2: “No, it truly just depends on the students because some actually use it for work, and it’s a great tool.”

(We continued by asking the teacher the following question)

1. Have you seen an improvement in students’ grades after the cellphone policy?

“Yes, I have seen a significant improvement in late work. I rarely see them anymore.”

2. Now that we have the cellphone policy, has there been more participation in class?

“Now that we have the cell phone policy, yes, there has been more participation in class than before.”

3. Have you noticed students sneaking their phones in class?

“Yes, all the time, they make it more obvious than it already was before.”

4. Do you believe that cellphones are a distraction? Why or why not?

” Yes, I do believe that cell phones are a big distraction not just for student but even for teachers, because it’s an addiction everyone has, we also use our phones and use them as a get away from an awkward situation so enrolling the cellphone policy helps us try to brake those dopamine feelings.”

5. Do you allow students to interact with their cellphones at all?

“Yes, occasionally, I used to do it a lot more, it has changed my way of teaching, so it’s rarely ”

6. Do you think the cellphone policy is important for students to succeed?

“Yes, I believe that the cellphone policy is very important for students to succeed, and I also believe that with the habit of every year continuing the policy it will be expected by students and teachers. We parents are breaking the habit of parental concern.”