Ridgefield High School has always been progressive surrounding technology and keeping it under control. As a senior, the rules have only gotten more intense. Freshman year we rarely had to use phone hotels, giving us a newfound freedom, but also a sense of responsibility that wasn't available in middle school. I found that, given the choice of using my phone in class or not, I felt much less anxious to reach for my phone in the classrooms where phone hotels were not enforced over classrooms when they were.

People will find ways to defy extensive rules no matter how strict they are; all they'll do is learn to be sneakier. Instead of subconsciously encouraging kids to learn how to lie better, let's teach them how to practice responsibility.

Each and every time I ended up using my phone in class for something not school related, I learned the consequences of my actions when I realized I had lost track of the lesson. I learned on my own how to be responsible with my phone use in school, and never had problems with it again.

My junior year they increased the intensity of these restraints: phone hotels were enforced in almost every classroom. Though us students didn't appreciate the distrust, we complied, following the rules. We were frequently reminded by staff of how good our school was with phone use, rarely requiring disciplinary action.

So, how were we rewarded for our compliance? With more rules. Phone hotels in every class, now including advisory. Just dropped 2 grand on a new MacBook? Too bad so sad, because now you can't use it. Well, you "can", but it won't connect to the personal wifi and won't be allowed in classes. And why must we use our school chromebooks? So teachers can monitor our screens. How can faculty expect us to respect and trust them when they have no trust in us (especially because they are allowed to keep their personal devices and phones)? 

In college, there are no phone hotels. If you don't pay attention, you fail. Professors don't care if you put yourself in a bad situation because you chose to prioritize your screen time. We need to prepare students for this environment! If we teach healthy habits, instead of learning to be sneaky and use their phone whenever they get a chance (unsure of when it will be accessible again), further disconnecting students from the present moment, we can help students manage these impulses. Technology is developing, whether we like it or not. We need to adapt. Management is the key, not restriction. 

For kids these days, so many aspects of their lives are online. A quick, reliable connection to their friends and family, access to places to be yourself and feel accepted; that's what a phone is for. 

If things stay the same, kids will be hit with an uncomfortable and possibly detrimental reality check later in life when they haven't learned self-responsibility, only punishment (even when they've done everything asked). Understanding the consequences of your actions and decisions is a crucial skill to thrive as a functional adult. We need to build on this!

No matter how many locks we put on student technology use, people will always find a way to escape their constraints. But all this does is increase the dependence that students have on their devices. We need to take action now, before it becomes common nature for students to rebel instead of learn. 

Please sign this petition in support of removing the mandatory school device rule, as well as phone hotels in every single class. For quizzes and tests, it's understandable to be cautious. But for every day assignments, the control and lack of freedom and accountability is completely unnecessary and will only lead to a negative relationship between the school districts and its students. Help be the change. Take the initiative and show the responsibility that we know we have by joining the cause.