Changing the cell phone procedure for the 2023-2024 school year is a bigger shift in pace of anything we’ve seen at Norrix in a long time.

At the end of the 2023-2024 school year, Loy Norrix High School administrators decided to prohibit all phones during instructional learning time. The first level of consequence for having a phone out in class is warning, the second offense requires the student to turn in their phone to the behavioral room, and the third offense results in the student turning in their phone for the rest of the day and having a parent or guardian come in to get it. 

The new Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS) Superintendent Darrin Slade is a huge advocate of the procedure. He will visit Norrix throughout the first trimester to make sure teachers and staff are following the procedure, Principal Christopher Aguinaga stated on the morning announcements.

Some teachers expected the worst, and some truly didn’t know how long students would take to adjust. 

Government teacher Kyle Shack thinks students have taken to the procedure surprisingly well.

“I think it’s a big change for students who have been here a few years and are being asked to have their phones away during instructional time, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how many students seem to be adopting that change seamlessly,” Shack said. 

Assistant Principal Alexander Hill is very happy with the results to start the school year after expecting a rocky start.

“We were expecting the worst: anarchy and a bigger resistance, but students have actually adhered well to the policy,” Hill said.

The goal of the procedure is to overall improve the amount of information students get out of their lessons. This goal for students could be remembering what they learned post-high school or understanding the course material enough to apply it to an exam effectively. 

Many administrators, including Hill, have noticed that there’s been noticeable improvements in student behavior. 

“We have seen a substantial reduction in students being sent out for behavior issues, which means they’re in the class and are learning,” Hill said.

History teacher Matthew Porco, who was one of the biggest advocates of getting rid of phones in the school last year, was ecstatic. 

“I’m very pleased at this point. It’s going better than I thought it would, and I think better than anybody thought it would.” Porco continued, “I think the students are doing a great job and it shows that students were ready for this.”

The new cell phone procedure is off to a great start according to the staff. It has impressed many teachers and surprised other staff members. One thing that nobody truly expected, however, was students’ outlook on the procedure itself. Some students enjoy the phone procedure and think that it really is good for their learning, which is exactly what the district wants.

“It [the new procedure] has helped me focus and better socialize with people,” sophomore Jonavan Hare said. 

The new phone procedure allows teachers to capture their students’ attention, making them feel more heard and respected in the classroom, which is a huge benefit to learning. 

Porco feels that the new procedure means that students’ eyes are on him and that what he says has meaning to them. He feels that the new phone policy has drastically improved the classroom environment, even if there are still small issues. Porco still notices distractions here and there but is excited that the school is taking steps in the right direction. 

“There’s still a little issue with students doing things they’re not supposed to on their Chromebooks, but I think, undoubtedly, not having to compete with phones should make a major difference with student learning,” Porco said. 

Shack agrees that the phone policy is positively affecting students. He sees students putting in extra effort to be successful in his class.

  “Far fewer students say they’re lost or they’re not sure what we’re doing. I see several students revising their work and resubmitting assignments to improve their grade,” Shack said.

Despite the benefits of the procedure, there are drawbacks, mainly that students  can’t communicate with their parents when they need to. Norrix staff, however, suggests that they shouldn’t need to be on their phones at all. Instead, parents can call the office and classroom phones if they urgently need to communicate with their children

There are also students who are against the procedure and could do without it, including junior Liam Crookston, whose main concern is his inability to use headphones or earbuds. 

 “I haven’t been able to listen to music, which has made it a little harder to get work done,” Crookston said. “I work a lot better with music, so it [not being able to listen to music] pushes my work towards home, making things difficult and stressful for me.”

Overall, the new cell phone procedure is taking over LN and has been a success and positive improvement for teachers specifically. Although some students are in favor of the new procedure, it’ll still take some time for the majority of the student population to warm up to the idea.