With more students glued to their phones, schools are looking for answers
Imran Ansari
Monday, June 12, 2023
North Shore High School teacher Greg Perles said he started with requests, politely asking the student to put away the cellphone. Then came a few reminders. Finally, he told the student to hand over the device.
The confrontation, which occurred during last year's school term, marked the only time Perles has gone so far as to take away a student's phone. But the history teacher said he regularly sees students taking out their phones during class to trade texts and emails, and to check for notifications and social media posts.
"They've cultivated a dependency," one teacher said of students' attachment to their phones. "I think they're hooked in dangerous ways that we're not even talking about."