The pocket holders have been all the talk this new school year, and we had questions Vice Principal Rosselle helped answer. We sat down to talk about the infamous pocket holders, and the reasons behind the decision. Principal Roselle talked about positive behavior support (PBS) and why it is so important to address the phone situation.

After 3 years of survey data from parents, teachers, and yes the students, it has been confirmed that the number 1 concern at HRVHS are smart phones. One thing Mr. Rosselle has noticed happening because of this is that students are talking to each other during class. A lot of students have wondered, “Well what about music, it helps people concentrate and causes no harm.” We brought this up to Mr. Rosselle, and he let us know “research has shown that students perform lower when listening to music with words.”

If research shows that students perform better without the distraction of phones, and there’s been a major decrease in bullying and referrals compared to last year, why wouldn’t we try to work towards that? Mr. Rosselle says it’s working. He explains that the new policies are not rules but fair expectations for all students at HRVHS.

I talked to a couple of people who disagreed with the new phone policy, and some had quite a lot to say about it. One student said “It doesn’t seem fair to all the students who would follow the rules last year, and never took them out while the teacher was speaking.” Another said, “I mostly used it for music in order to concentrate while people tried talking to me as I was trying to get my work done.” We had a few students who didn’t think it was such bad idea, one of them explained, “Most of the teachers are only following the rules they were told to share with the students in their classrooms, and many teachers don’t think it’s actually that big of a deal.” Others suggested the staff should have to follow the same rule.

Overall, is the new policy such a bad idea? We’ve seen a reduction in school bullying, and an increase in student interaction during class. Administrators simply ask that you give this new policy a chance.

By: Talon Staff Reporter, Benesia Rodriguez