Lunch ‘Lines’: Peet opens time for cell phone use

By Vipsa Dodiya

Peet Junior High has started letting students bring their phones into the cafeteria at lunch time. They are not, however, allowed to use them during lunch, only after they have finished eating.

Students can either choose to go into the gym after lunch and use their phones worry-free or stay in the cafeteria after eating.

“I can see how many people would like this, but I kind of don’t,” freshman Emmey Sherbon said.

Many people said that they were ecstatic for this new opportunity so they won’t have to sneak it in the halls between classes. “Lunch time has always been something to look forward to. Now with the new phone privilege, it’s even better,” freshman Natalie Lang said.

With the new privilege, comes some boundaries. For example, student phones cannot be seen while they’re eating or else teachers are allowed to take them away. Students have to be completely done eating, chewing and all, and only then are they permitted to pull out their phones.

“I kind of don’t like this new rule because, at lunch time and in the gym, you’re kind of forced to interact with everyone else around you, ’cause you have nothing better to do. Now that the new opportunity is here with the phones, I feel like nobody is going to want to talk anymore. They will be glued to their screens,” Sherbon said.

Any casual observer can see that in some sense, she is right. After dismissal to go the gym, one can see everybody yanking their phones out of their pockets. In the gym, almost every face is on a screen, Snapchatting, taking selfies, playing multiplayer games, their fingers sending a message or a picture to someone literally two feet away from them.

“It’s kinda sad really. Everybody is still talking to everyone, but without making any eye contact or really listening to one another,” freshman Mackenzie Michael said.

But on the other side, many are thankful for this new privilege. “I actually don’t have to sneak a peek at my phone during class when my mom texts me ‘Lol,’” freshman Noor Afzal said. The student council at Peet fought for this opportunity and are happy that many people enjoy this privilege. Most students know that they have student council to thank for this.

“I don’t think it’s much of a problem but more of a benefit. I guess it just depends on how you see it,” Afzal said.

The teachers that are on cafeteria duty agree with Afzal. “You just have to remember it’s a privilege, not a right,” physical education teacher Ethan Jennings said. “So far, everybody has been pretty good about it, and it hasn’t caused any problems,” Jennings said, shrugging his shoulders.