Menomonie High School and surrounding districts have recently cracked down on phone use policies because of lowering grades, lower test scores, and lost attention. Are there new policies that could be put into place that allow phone use in study hall?
Menomonie students were always used to the freedom of phone use, especially the students who had all of their work done and studied so they had nothing else to do. Menomonie first faced the no phones policy in the Fall of 2024. This policy was no phones at any time of the day besides passing time and lunch. Kids were forced to put their phones in a sleeve and not allowed to access their phones. Students were struck by the new abrupt rule change. The students adapted for the first month or so then were back to missing the free time that is now filled with doing nothing at all. Teachers then slipped through the cracks and gave up enforcing the rule. They had to do so much in just a few months that they were tired of it, and the students were tired of a norm changing too. We believe that students that have no missing assignments and sustainable grades should have access to their phones in study hall.
Student at MHS Cade Lamb said, “If you are completing your work in class and can be backed by grades there should be no issue if you are responsibly on your phone, you won’t cause a scene.”
Cade was one of many students who would like to see a rewarding program. Even teachers gave the Messenger a plan like long time science teacher at MHS Mr. McMahon, “Should be an honor study hall where kids can go and hangout and do whatever they want. Based on attendance and missing assignments. Miss one day you can’t go for the week.”
We surveyed 175 students and over 90 percent said they think having phones in study hall would be beneficial. One of the students, who is very passionate about the topic, Joella Dwyer said, “I definitely think that phones should be allowed. It can almost be used as a reward system to give students more incentive to complete assignments. If a student claims that they have no missing assignments their third hour teacher can check their gradbook to confirm. If confirmed-they can then be allowed their phone.”
These policies give off a bribery vibe, but it simply isn’t. Students that complete all their work a lot of the time have nothing to do and should have personal occupational free time. Students who usually don’t do work will most likely still not do work. If they do go on their phones, then the teachers will need to keep enforcing the original rule that they wanted. If there is a chance to go on their phone they should deserve it, but for now the good students sit with nothing to do in Study Hall.
We surveyed the students at Menomonie High School on their preference and ideas of a phone in study hall rule. We found out that 92.6% of MHS students would like to see an implemented rule that allows phone use in study halls. 7.4%
Now we understand that most students will want to have phones be available in study hall. But there were also a number of students that disagreed and said no on our survey. 7.4% of the answers said no. MHS Student Sydnie Hoppa said “I don’t think that phones should be ‘allowed’ if you have no missing assignments. I get that some people have the mindset of ‘if they have a reward, they’ll do the task’. But I don’t believe that’s what the school should be teaching the students. Sure, it’s a good method, but the school should be teaching discipline, not bribery and rewards for doing the work they are given at school.”
We only saw responses that answered no from seniors at our school. There were no’s from other grades just with no name or quote. Almost 98% of underclassmen said yes. This could be due to their younger style and wanting to be more free now that they are at the High School. MHS Principal Mr. Drake was another no in our research. He said, “Not at this point. We want to see growth as a building first, our F and D are rated high. It’s hard to manage as a teacher who has no missing assignments and not.”
There is talk about non engaged students in study hall, but non engaged doesn’t necessarily mean phone use. Lots of different things could be considered non engaged. Students who are not academically engaged could be students who have nothing to do, which in this case could be a student on their phone being quiet instead of making a “not academically engaged scene”.
Menomonie High School students talk about this and deal with this daily. Will we ever see a change and rewarded phone use return to MHS?
