AMHERST — New rules for use of electronic devices and bathrooms at Amherst Regional High School are drawing mixed reviews from students, some of whom say they are necessary to curb unruly behavior while others say they will inevitably be broken.
Since students have come back to Amherst Regional High School in person, the school has seen an influx of fights, vaping, marijuana use, congregating in bathrooms, and bathrooms being vandalized. According to ARHS Principal Talib Sadiq, students and parents have reported that some students are afraid to use the bathrooms and are feeling uncomfortable walking the halls.
In response, the school has decided to implement new rules affecting phone use in class and students leaving class to use the bathroom or to do other things.
In order to use the bathroom during class, students must leave their phones in the classroom. Electronic devices can only be used before and after school, at lunch, and during passing periods. The first time students are caught using their phone in class without permission from a teacher, their family will be called. The second time it happens, their family will be called and the device will be confiscated and kept in the dean’s office for the rest of the day. If it happens a third time, the device will be confiscated, a student’s family will be called, and parents/guardians will be required to pick it up.
The school implemented attendance and bathroom rule changes as well. If a student is out of class for more than 10 minutes without permission it will count as one unexcused tardy, and if a student is out of class for more than 20 minutes without permission it will count as one unexcused absence. The school also has decided to limit the number of people allowed in the restrooms to two at a time.
The high school presented these new rules to the students by holding assemblies for each grade.
“I think some rules were needed, but the extent in which the school intended to go was too much and unnecessary,” ARHS sophomore Ryder Rietkerk said. “I don’t think it will [prevent fights, phone use in class, and students leaving class], as people who fight often have these arguments out of school and none of these rules can prevent that. It may affect phone use in class as teachers will be less hesitant to tell you to put your phone away. As for leaving class, I think students get bored and will need the break regardless of these rules.”
Sophomore Tarakayn Shultz agreed that rules would be broken regardless.
“These rules will make it much harder for students to get away with using their phones in class. Despite this, I think some students will continue their behavior regardless of any rules,” Shultz said.
On the other side of the spectrum, students were passionate about the necessity of the new rules.
“I think that the rule changes were necessary to mitigate fights in the high school. Underclassmen students are fighting, and sending each other to the hospital,” senior Ruby Cain said.
She suggested the school’s handling of the pandemic may have led to these problems. “I think the school system did a disservice to students over the pandemic. These behavioral issues wouldn’t be happening in the first place if the district had in-person school. Underclassmen, particularly freshmen, are not acting like high schoolers, and I think it is because they didn’t have middle school.”
Sophomore Alex Cain shared similar views.
“As it being my second year of high school, I have been shocked by the behavior of the freshmen class this past year. These rule changes feel a direct response to their actions, instead of the whole student body,” Cain said. “I feel that the hallway and bathroom restrictions needed to be enforced to create more safety in the school. I also think finally starting to enforce the absences is very important in creating more of an incentive for going to school, which I have not felt this year.”
Cain said the school could have done a better job implementing the rules, such as individually enforcing phone rules and ending the bathroom police.
“Where it steps in a harsh direction is the phone rules. I think they could have made it more individual than enforcing it to the whole body,” Cain said. “Students who have poor grades and excessively use their phones would be faced with consequences but a student with better grades would face less consequences for using their phones, providing another incentive to get better grades.
“Another thing I would change is the bathroom police,” Cain added. “I feel it is a waste of public funding. Having a person stand outside the bathroom marking a count of who comes in and out and taking a stopwatch and making sure they don’t take too long is excessive. There are so many different types of problems that need more money including the track replacement and the arts program.”
Ryder Rietkerk shared the same sentiment.
“I think the school could have handled it better,” Rietkerk said. “They came at it very aggressively with some rules that were not needed, like two people per bathroom, the school wanting to keep each student on the floor in which their class is on, and not having them be out for more than 10 minutes. Now students will have to wait for the bathroom and who knows how long that could take. It doesn’t feel right.”
Shultz praised the school’s handling of the rule changes.
“Despite the backlash, I think the school handled it quite well,” Shultz said. “There were a few incidents prior to the rule changes that definitely accelerated the rules being put in place. It was a very logical time for the school to begin cracking down on the behaviors they saw as unfit.”
Cain said the school should be focusing on the root cause of fights, which she thinks is mental health.
“I think the school needs to focus on many things. Mental health supports and proper counseling for people who are acting out in schools should also be implemented so that admin has a more holistic approach to this situation,” Cain said.
Talvin Dhingra is a student at Amherst Regional High School and a contributing writer for the Gazette.