This year, Ohio implemented a new phone policy that eliminates cell phones from all school environments. Although it was just implemented in all schools this year, Beavercreek High School enforced this rule last year with the purchase of the YONDR pouch (a pouch that stores your phone and locks it). Now that the school year is coming to a close, it is time to reflect on how students are adapting to the second year of this policy. Mr. Jason Scott, one of the assistant principals at Beavercreek High School, stated the reason this policy was implemented in the first place: “I think the main goal of this policy was to be able to remove distractions from our learning environment. There is a list of goals that we wanted to achieve with this policy, but the first one on the list would be to stop losing students’ attention and just let teachers cook.” He also added that this policy allows teachers to do the job they are paid to do without having these major distractions. Cell phones are notoriously a major distraction for teenagers, and this policy eliminates this problem in BHS. Reflecting back on the year, Mr. Scott thought about how this policy affected the environment of the school. He stated, “The phone policy has absolutely affected the environment positively. I think there is no going back.” This policy has now been in place at Beavercreek High School for a solid two years, with the enforcement of the use of the YONDR pouches starting back at the beginning of the school year last year, in August of 2024. Many students have mixed thoughts about the YONDR pouches, which originally made it harder to enforce. Although this may have made it easier this year. Mr. Scott stated, “I think this year the adaptation has gone pretty well. I know it was a big transition last year, but I think this year the kids know the game. The students have done a fantastic job at becoming used to it.” Looking back upon the year, Mr. Scott reflected on whether this new policy has achieved the goals it was set for. He stated, “I think the policy achieved its goals because it’s been the most popular thing among the teachers. There was a survey that went out, and 96% of the teachers surveyed said they support the policy.” Overall, the phone policy at Beavercreek High School has been a huge success this past school year and will continue to positively impact the environment of BHS for years to come.
