“Phones away!”—a common phrase heard throughout classrooms here at school. While some teachers remain lenient about cellphones, others are more uptight regarding the issue. In my opinion, teachers and staff shouldn’t be able to take away students’ phones. If they don’t own the device, they shouldn’t be able to confiscate it.

Many students feel that it is against their rights for a teacher or staff member to confiscate phones without permission. Now, don’t get me wrong, several students being on their phones can be distracting for themselves and others, as well as disrespectful to teachers teaching the class. However, taking away a student’s cell phone can lead to more of a problem and escalate things.

Cell phones in school have always been a widespread debate topic, and many people hold different opinions on this matter. If the student makes the choice to be on their phone during class, they will have to deal with the consequences because it was their choice. Us students obviously don’t like getting our phones taken away. Teachers picking up our cell phones shouldn’t be allowed, unless it is causing a major distraction and used inappropriately. If phones are turned faced down on desks, it shouldn’t be a problem for teachers, as long as the student is well engaged in class.

One thing that should definitely not be allowed is teachers or staff taking cell phones and keeping them until the end of the day. This is unacceptable—our phones are our property. Teachers taking phones can just cause more of an issue, so why make a big deal out of it? Students can get upset and then lack focus because their phone is who-knows-where. Phones can be necessities in certain situations. If my phone is taken away, how am I supposed to be in contact with anybody in the case of an emergency? Phones can also be crucial as a resource needed at school, in the case that a students Chromebook stops working or breaks, a student could then use their phone. But if phones are taken away, what do we use now?

For some teachers, this no longer remains an issue due to the fact that teachers use pockets where students’ cell phones are placed for the entire period. Other teachers choose not to use this. When my phone is in the pocket, I can see it from my seat and know that I will get it back after class, so this doesn’t have any issues for students. Yes, it can be annoying to have your phone in the pocket and not in your own backpack along with your other things, but at least you can still see your cellphone and not have to worry about where it is if a teacher takes it.

Another reason is privacy. Our phones and what’s on them, like notifications, are not something we want everyone to see. This doesn’t imply that we have bad things on our phones, but we should be allowed some privacy by having our own devices to ourselves and away to not be distractions.