COVINGTON TWP, Pa., November 1, 2024 – A student has an emergency at school, and wants to contact his/her parent or guardian as fast as possible. They attempt to send a text message or phone call, but nothing is going through due to the school’s service block for students. Although cutting out wifi on all students’ cell phones limits distraction, it can also be a safety issue in certain scenarios.
Mr. Nardella, an NPHS math teacher, has mixed feelings on the topic. “I believe that students should be allowed access to their phones during downtime throughout the school day. This can be achieved through giving students access to wifi during those downtimes; however, it would be difficult to implement. Unfortunately because of students taking advantage of wifi during class as well as not paying attention, it cannot be the case where we give students access to wifi.” The question that remains, are the staff and administrators reasonable? “I do not believe that there is a specific action that has been taken by the school to block the wifi other than the use of a password. It seems to me that in certain spots in the building students can gain access to the internet on their phones, I have personally had internet service in the gym before.” Although some areas in a classroom or area in the school have better connectivity than others, students still have a major block in general.
Senior Sophia Derenick feels more strongly about this topic of discussion. “Yes I feel that students should be provided with cellular service. It is a safety concern for most parents that they cannot reach their children all day long. But, students should obey the rules attached to the service so it is not stricken from our hands.” Even though Sophia fully believes that students should be provided with wifi in the building, she still understands the other side. “I understand why school boards may be hesitant to unblock service due to students misusing the wifi. However, they should take account of the other factors involved in the agreement, and consider how it may be useful for students and parents.”
With so many pros and cons of this topic, it seems impossible to settle on a decision that is both reasonable and fair for both the students and the teachers.
