Letter to the Editor: Cell Phone Policy Rebuttal

Dear Editor,

Instead of simply writing a rebuttal to the student’s letter to the editor, I would like to add my own thoughts on St. Martin’s cell phone policy. Students and faculty members were part of the committee that updated the cell phone policy three years ago. The students on the committee advocated for cell phone use to be prohibited in hallways and the cafeteria. Their reasoning revolved around community values and social awareness. Currently, the policy allows for cell phone usage in many areas around campus. Notably, outside the cafeteria is one place where cell phone usage is allowed.

I would like to challenge all of our students to think about how often they are on their phones. If you paused for half of that time to have a face- to-face conversation with someone, would your friendships and relationships become stronger? Would your schoolwork get accomplished quicker? Would looking up from the tiny screen to see the world around you make your life any richer? There is a larger conversation to have in response to the use of cell phones in more places than just our small school community. I would love to have that conversation if anyone would be so inclined.

Sincerely, Rebecca Lovisa Assistant Head of Upper School