In July 2025, Ohio will legally require all school districts to restrict students from having their phones. In response, Edgewood High School implemented this policy a year before this law was mandated. According to recent studies done by Ohio.gov, phones affect students’ mental health and performance.
Aaron Farris is in his seventh year as a math teacher at EHS said he likes this new policy.
“The phone policy will make students’ scores go up, learning will increase, more sociability, more friends, and overall only positive things,” Farris said.
EHS attempted to start the no-phone policy last year, but ultimately it fell through. But this year’s phone policy was brought by the Board of Education and is intended to stay in effect for a long time. Teachers were not involved in the decision-making but were rather just informed of the new rule. Regardless of the communication, teachers seem to favor this new rule.
“ I hope it stays for at least ten years, I know I’ll be enforcing it until the school tells me not to anymore,” Mr.Farris said.
The process of having phones taken has changed from last year and the administration is dealing with a great deal of referrals. Mr. Geygan is involved with some of them.
“Collecting phones, it’s not fun, but a necessary part of my job,” said Mr. Geygan.
In the first few weeks of school, a lot of phones were taken, but violations have died down once people started following the new policy. According to Mr. Geygan, Wednesdays are when most phones get taken, which also happens to be the EdgeTime schedule.
Another issue was that students began to get on their phones during 7th period because the day was almost over. EHS digital art teacher Mr. Pletz experienced the perceived seventh bell loophole.
“Kids were just getting on their phones during class because what could I do?” Mr. Pletz stated.
The administration started calling kids down the day after they were seen on their phones, and there were still consequences even after the day of the offense. The loophole is closed.
