LOS ALAMITOS, CA — As students enter their classroom, they are required to place their cell phone into a “phone caddy,” a holder with rows of pockets.

Not every classroom uses a phone jail, for teachers decide whether or not to have it in their class. The intention is to decrease phone usage and increase student productivity, but many question the usefulness of the phone jail. Some students claim that it inconveniences them.

“I forgot my phone in the same phone jail twice,” said freshman Mathilde Smith.

While people are bound to forget objects, the caddy may increase that chance as students have to remember every single day. A cell phone is very important in day-to-day life, and the chances of losing such an expensive item by accidentally leaving it behind is a worrisome problem. However, the benefit it provides teachers is something not to be ignored. Some teachers use it to measure attendance, and while this is a much easier and quicker way of checking attendance, it does not work for students that do not own cell phones. The usage of the phone caddy reduces the distraction for students and teachers, for teachers do not need to stop class to take away phones from inattentive students.

“I believe it’s useful for me,” Mrs. Tiratira said. “I do not have to be a phone monitor.”

Phone caddies only started being implemented recently as phone-related issues increased. With the normalization of teenagers and even children owning cell phones in the past few years, problems and solutions have arisen.

“We’ve always taken it seriously,” assistant principal Mr. Bowen said. “I wanted it to be enforced a little more consistently.”

Students are able to easily access online school work and check grades, and many teachers assign online assignments that they allow students to use their phones in class to complete. However, students are also faced with the temptation to use their phones which leads to less attention in class. Phone jails provide a solution that doesn’t involve banning cell phones in the classroom and still allows students to grab their phones if needed while removing the distraction the phone brings. Phone jails also decrease the amount of confiscated student cell phones which largely benefits students.

Phone caddies are not a complete solution or problem; they are simply a tool used on a case-by-case basis. Some teachers do not find the need for phone jails and are able to still maintain an active class. Some think that it is the student’s responsibility to learn self-regulation. Others find that phone caddies work immensely for their classroom.