Have you ever wished that school could be like the good old days when our parents went to school? When they were forced to find other things to do other than sitting on their phones in school all day? As nice as that may seem, I think there are more benefits to having phones in school than drawbacks. I strongly believe Ohio school districts should not prohibit cell phone use in school, as was discussed in Gov. Mike DeWine’s State of the State address April 10.

Think about how many times a day you text your parents from school. Personally, I text my mom about three times each day while I am at school. We ask how each other’s days are going, if anything important has happened, or plans for that night. If cell phones were banned, I’m not sure what I’d do without being able to text my mom.

Even if you don’t text your parents every day at school, there are still times that you might want to text them and not be able to. For example, what happens if you forget your art project but you remember before they leave for work? You text them and they bring it to you. On the other hand, what if you get an A on a test that you stayed up all night studying for? Or, you are just having a bad day and you need them to give you some motivation to finish the rest of the day?

If phones were banned in schools, you wouldn’t be able to do any of that. Say you don’t text them for any of those specific reasons; however, imagine in the worst case scenario, if there was an emergency and you really needed to contact someone. You can only do that if you are allowed to have your phone in school.

Another reason why I think phones should be allowed in schools is because they serve educational purposes. I know we all have that one teacher that teaches so fast, that you can’t even get down all of the notes. On many occasions I find myself taking pictures of textbooks or white boards. I then look back on these notes or diagrams later that day when I go to do my homework or study for the next test — not to mention the times when I have had to email students in other classes or teachers I do not have until later that day. If I don’t have my Chromebook out, I will not see the email and by the time I get back to them, they will no longer be near their phone. If I can have my phone in school, I will be able to contact people for other classes as fast as possible.

Now let’s be real, kids text each other in class. Similarly, when they are bored, they go on their phone. If phone privileges are taken away, students will find other ways to talk to their peers or entertain themselves. They will begin yelling across the class or passing notes, which would be more distracting than sending a quick text to someone. During lunch when someone gets bored, they get on their phone. If they didn’t have their phone, they may make choices that get themselves into trouble. However, to avoid these things happening, kids should be allowed to have their phones. Allowing phones in school will prevent all sorts of problems that would happen without them.

I completely understand why some would say that they want phones banned from schools. They think it will force kids to socialize and improve their education, but I think the negative effects outweigh the good.

Now, I do think there could be some alternatives to those solutions. Maybe teachers could make students put them in a certain spot in the classroom at the beginning of each period and the students can only have them out if they can provide a good reason for the teacher. Schools could also provide students with iPads so that they could easily take pictures or text their parents if needed. They would still be able to put restrictions on the devices so that the students aren’t playing games or scrolling on TikTok during class. I think there are other ways to fix the problems with devices in schools, without completely banning them; it just may take a little bit more thinking.

Overall, I understand both sides of the story. I see why the state encourages the ban of phones from schools but I also understand the argument for allowing phone privileges. I do strongly believe that phones should be allowed in schools, even if they put more restrictions on them.