Phone And Fences A Policy Update

This year, CSArts has implemented policies regarding phone use in classrooms -in accordance with state law and campus access. So, are these policies working? This semester, almost all classes have been requiring students to leave their phones in phone charts, and while many phone charts only end up half-full, campus administration has been working to fix that.

Another issue administrators are focusing on:new gates. The gates have been installed blocking access to the 400s to anyone who doesn’t know their student ID, or more accurately, anybody’s student ID.

The new rules about keeping phones in the phone charts held well in the beginning of the year. However, overtime many students have shifted away from the phone charts. To counter this, you may have noticed Mr. Metoyer going to some classrooms and slipping star squads into phone charts for whoever keeps their phones in. In general, teachers and staff are giving positive responses on the impact of the new policies, but some students are not fans. “We’re getting nothing but positive feedback from anyone but the students. Teachers have reported higher engagement and more focus during class. Some students think that they should have enough anonymity to manage it on their own but data shows it’s better to make this required,” said Mr. Metoyer

As for the gates, it’s worth noting that making it harder for someone to break into the campus isn’t the only purpose. CSArts is also for keeping track of who is in the 400s, so the school can respond better in an emergency. “By putting in their own codes, we can run a report if we need to and keep track of who is where. If everyone is using one ID, then our data is wrong,” said Mrs. Read. She said, for the system to work, it’s extremely important for students to use their own code. Using your own code also helps keep your student ID secure, as it should be. It’s also recommended that students avoid propping the doors open, although its fine when moving between block 1 and 2.

This year’s new safety and academic policies are working, but they rely on student participation. Administrators stress that students continue putting phones in the phone pockets, only use their own codes for the 400 gates. It all works toward making CSArts a better and safer campus.