Recently, a new policy has been announced at Fitch High School regarding headphones and earbuds in the hallways, prohibiting them due to safety concerns.
Over the last few weeks, there have been comments on how earbuds must not be worn in the hallways due to safety concerns. For students, it seemingly came out of nowhere since at the beginning of the year, they hadn’t made this announcement before, and we already know that the school was against the use of earbuds in school; however, this was the first time it involved them not being allowed in the hallway. One thing of note is the student handbook. Assuming that you get punished for having your earbuds in the hallway, the student handbook states that the punishments for “inappropriate use of electronic devices,” which includes phones, smart watches, earbuds, and other personal devices, are the same as the phone punishments with the first and second offenses being confiscation, parents pick up the device, three hour detention, and one week loss of privileges, followed by the subsequence offenses. So theoretically, if a student were to be caught with their earbuds in the hallway, they would be punished much like this, though the school hasn’t specified if the punishments for this new policy are the same as stated in the handbook.
“I don’t really like it,” said Shardae Striggles, junior. “I need to listen to my music, and it’s a very crucial part of getting through the day.”
While many students would argue that music helps them focus on work, teachers view earbuds as more of a safety concern or a distraction.
“I understand why it’s implemented…for safety reasons if a teacher needs to get a student’s attention,” said Olivia Ferdon, a math teacher, “You could be talking to your friends instead of keeping yourself in a little bubble.”
While there is a wide array of safety issues that could take place, for many teachers, the policy could mean fewer struggles to get a student’s attention in the hallway.
The headphone policy comes soon after Fitch’s rules regarding cell phones, tablets, and smartwatches.
