How Students Feel About This Idea

One of the most debated and talked about topics among JFK High School students is the question of whether or not using phones during lunchtime hours should be allowed. The majority of the students at JFK feel strongly that phones should be allowed for usage during lunch, while teachers and faculty feel it’s better not to allow students do to so because they could become a distraction for students, or be used for improper behaviors. Other schools in the district have allowed phone use during lunch before, so it can be done without any major problems occurring. 

“Using our phones during lunch gives us a break from the classes during the first half of school and clears our mind,” a student in one of our neighboring high schools stated. Using phones during lunch is the perfect time for students to reach out to family members if needed, or simply use the times on their phone to relax during their approximately 30-minute lunch break. Phone usage during lunch would offer students the entertainment and relaxation they may not be able to get during a lunch period with no technology allowed. 

How This Can Benefit Students and Staff

Teachers at JFK follow a strict no-phone rule policy in the classroom, to avoid the distraction of their students, but lunch is not a class, which means students have nothing they must keep their undivided attention on. This is the argument most students have as to why using their phones during lunch would not bring any harm, and if anything would help them focus more in their classes. With having the freedom to use their phones during lunch, many students feel this would give them little reason to want to look at their phones during class time. Having a chance to listen to music, look at a text from Mom and Dad, or simply having a few minutes to scroll through Instagram would help lift off some of the stress from school, even if it’s only for a small period. 

Improving The Attitudes of Students

Opening up to the idea of using phones during school could also lift the spirits of many of our students. When asking various JFK students on whether or not they think phones should be used in school, they all answered “Yes!” very enthusiastically. Allowing students phone use during lunch would help create a balance of having the time of the day to enjoy themselves, and having a time of the day to work hard. JFK High and their staff are often open to new ideas, so using phones during lunch is worth giving a shot. The idea of using phones in school at any point may seem chaotic, but it would benefit the faculty and the student body greatly if the students were allowed to be on their phones during lunch.