Last school year, in February 2025, LAUSD officially started the current phone policy of banning phone usage throughout the whole school day. The policy allows schools to be flexible when deciding on how to implement the ban, with the options of magnetic pouches, classroom pocket charts, or box slots.
Teachers and staff here at Huntington Park High school agree that the policy was put into effect to limit the distractions students have, and say that there’s certain research that talks about students with less phone usage being more likely to do better at school. This year is the first official full year that HPHS uses yonder pouches.
Mr. Espinosa, the 12th grade counselor here at HPHS claims that when the phone policy just started during the second semester of the 2024-2025 school year, more students were following the phone policy and putting their phones into the pouches, compared to now he claims that students have caught on and have found ways to work around the policy. He also claims that he’s seen more student interaction since the phone policy started and he enjoys seeing students interact with one another.
Dr. Alamo, a teacher here at HPHS claims he’s seen a change in his class atmosphere since the start of the policy. He says students are more engaged in the lessons, have less distractions, and are having richer conversations. Dr. Alamo also claims that the phone policy was a necessary change in the school in order to make sure that students’ number one priority was their education, and that wasn’t a main focus when the phone was a main distraction.
Students here at HPHS are the main ones being affected by the phone policy. Student Maurico Hernandez, a senior, says that it was necessary to implement the phone policy but not the Yondr pouches. He claims that it takes up unnecessary time when long lines are made, which can then cause students to be late to class. He also states that it is a hassle having your phone locked up when you need to text your parents for an emergency. Another student, Samantha Chicho, a senior at HPHS, claims that she does focus on classwork more now because of the phone policy.
The LAUSD phone policy implemented at Huntington Park High School has reformed the school environment, succeeding in their goal to have the students main focus be their education.
Written by Suhey Aguilar, staff writer