By Danny Campbell, ’27

Staff Writer

Most likely, everyone has an opinion about the Hanover High School student cell phone policy by now, since we’re into its second year. To minimize distractions, the handbook restricts students from using cell phones in class without the teacher’s permission. Most teachers require students to place their phones in the classroom “phone hotel” (better known, in my opinion, as the “prison”), or keep them in student backpacks. This is enforced with varying levels of strictness depending on the teacher. The policy, implemented by district administration and approved by School Committee, is part of a state and nationwide trend toward restricting cell phone use in schools. I personally think the cell phone “hotels” are a waste of time. They not only show distrust of students, but also could lead to safety issues.

In the last few years, cell phones have become a major part of our lives, and nearly everyone in the United States now has a phone that they use frequently. I can almost guarantee that you – the person reading this page – have spent large chunks of time only on your phone, letting a platform like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram or games consume hours of your day. Many have fallen victim to it, admit it! This is why school districts across the country started limiting or restricting cell phones in school. The Massachusetts legislature is considering a bill this year to ban students from using cell phones and other personal electronic devices during the school day. Most teachers think that getting rid of the phones in class will automatically make the students pay more attention to them during their lessons. Other supporters of the policies feel limiting phones will reduce bullying and improve students’ mental health.

But we need to note three things about these arguments. First of all, NOT every single student in the school is tied to their cell phone! This is a very big thing that I feel people completely ignore when discussing whether or not to restrict phones. There are students who only bring their phones to check the time, text important people during their downtime, or keep in contact with their parents during school hours. So restricting our only form of outside communication is very unfair for those of us who barely take them out.

Secondly, the policy can cause safety problems during an emergency. Imagine that a fire or some other catastrophic event happens that could lead to school being evacuated. If students are as attached to their phones as administrators seem to think, the first thing they’ll do in an emergency is try to get their phones from the “hotel.” This could cause injuries and a delay in getting students out of the building quickly.

Finally, having to put phones in a classroom “hotel” makes it possible for students to forget them when the bell rings for dismissal. This means students have to interrupt their next class to come back and retrieve them, or wait until the next day to pick them up if school is over. It could even lead to theft of the often expensive devices.

I think a better approach to the cell phone issue would be to teach students how to use the technology responsibly. This could be taught in a unit for middle school health class, during Mrs. McHugh’s library sessions, or through auditorium presentations like the ones we have about topics like drug abuse and lockdown drills. Students need to be taught the benefits of moderating screen time to take care of their mental health. If we can do this, there won’t be the need for phone “hotels.”

By Danny Campbell, ’27

Staff Writer

Students often complain when our school bathrooms are closed and they have to walk to a different floor or down to the cafeteria to find one open. But in an interview with Principal Mattos and custodian Fabz Saldanha last week, I learned that students are often the ones responsible for the closures.

In the past, Hanover High School regularly had just one bathroom open per floor to minimize issues with students gathering, creating messes and getting into trouble. Also in the past, teachers were assigned duties to monitor the halls and bathrooms. Last spring, concerns about the rotating closed bathrooms were brought to the HHS School Council (composed of students, teachers and community members) and the HHS Student Advisory Council. This led the administration to open all bathrooms after announcements were made to the student body about care and maintenance.

“Students control what happens,” Mr. Mattos said, echoing a message he gave during assemblies on the first day of school. “If students respected the bathrooms, they would be open forever. They only get closed for cleaning and maintenance as needed.”

Unfortunately, only three days into the school year, the bathroom in the World Language wing was seriously vandalized. A student or students pulled the stall dividers right out of the wall. Damage like this has cost the school thousands of dollars in the past, Mr. Mattos said. With the school budget tight this year, and a busy maintenance staff serving all the school buildings, it’s going to take time to fix. That bathroom has been locked since.

While students who commit vandalism are just a small part of the school population, Mr. Mattos said, it’s hard to catch them because the general law prohibits cameras in the bathrooms. Due to budget cuts, the school also doesn’t have enough staff to constantly monitor the spaces.

Aside from that closure, the school has been handling the issue much better than years prior, Mr. Mattos said. I noticed one day in September when both bathrooms on the second floor were closed at the same time, leading students to have to walk farther. But Mr. Saldanha said that was a temporary closure because a motion-activated sink needed repair; town health officials say a bathroom must be closed if a sink or toilet is not working.

The metal gates were installed in 2022 to lock and secure bathrooms as needed, but the idea of closing a school bathroom for cleaning or a repair is not new. Prior to that, the school had used movable plastic barriers for years, but students would simply push them aside and enter the bathrooms. “With the gates, bathroom maintenance has been much better,” Mr. Mattos said.

We should all be aware by now that the administration and custodians are not in the wrong to close the bathrooms when issues occur. It’s up to students to treat the bathrooms with respect. Having a clean, working bathroom close to your classroom is a privilege, not a given. If you are responsible and behave in the bathrooms, they will stay open. Throw your trash in the bins. Do not put unflushable items in the toilets. Show courtesy to your classmates who use the bathrooms and to the custodians who keep them clean. If only as much as one student misbehaves in the bathrooms, they are all at risk of being closed!

I have done my part in covering this issue. Now it is your turn to do yours!