With the start of the new school year approaching, news of a punitive phone policy spread nationwide, and Missoula was no exception. Phone policies are very diverse across the U.S., ranging from no policy to locking phones for the entirety of the academic day. Hellgate chose to find a middle ground; according to the 2023-2024 Hellgate High School student handbook, “Students may not use cell phones or other electronic signaling devices during classes unless such use is under the direction of certified staff for educational purposes.”

This is achieved using variations of a phone caddy, which have led to several issues. Ninth grader Seamus Kane’s iphone shattered after the caddy in his science room collapsed, and the school doesn’t plan on reimbursing it. “If you bring something to school it is your responsibility to replace and take care of it,” said Judson Miller, principal at Hellgate High School. However, Kane stated that he was going to be reimbursed for the damage done, which brings up some confusion about whether or not the school will take responsibility.

This isn’t the only confusion around the policy. Social studies teacher Jeff Waniata said, “It was going to be up to the individual teacher, then up to the individual department,” which led to variation from teacher to teacher, and department to department. A prime example of this came up last week during the lockdown. There was nothing written in the policy about whether or not students were allowed access to their phones during lockdowns, so some students had access, others didn’t.

The school shares that they began the implementation of the policy to help students stay focused and present at school. While many students agree with the idea, Waniata said, “I think it’s that the majority of students feel like they are trustworthy with it, so it feels (like) we’re starting off not trusting them… I absolutely understand that.”

When asked about the future of the policy, most say it’s all up in the air. School administration is treating the policy as a sort of “experiment”. The truth is, no one knows how the policy is going to adapt and morph as the year goes on. The best we can do is learn from past mistakes and move towards a healthy relationship with our sacred metal tablets.