As students of Delaware Valley know, there is no Wi-Fi allowed for students. The only devices allowed Wi-Fi are teachers personal cell phones, student iPads and laptops, and teacher laptops. Student cell phones are not allowed to be connected to Wi-Fi at school.
In some parts of the school, there are classrooms that have good cell service, but most halls do not have service for the students. The language hall has no service at all.
The new cell phone rule doesn’t allow students to use phones during class this school year, but students are still on their phones at lunch and in study hall. With that, why aren’t students allowed to have school Wi-Fi?
Since the school doesn’t provide Wi-Fi for student-owned devices, students find ways to get on the Wi-Fi, and the school has to change the Wi-Fi password once the school learns about the students’ access.
“I imagine it [not having Wi-Fi] being unsafe,” said Abbey Bivona. “Imagine there’s an emergency or a personal matter that you don’t want the secretaries in the front office to know as you call your parents or guardian about it.”
Many teachers will say if there’s an emergency, go to the office, but not many students want the people in the front office to know their personal business.
As many people know, tragedies in school are common. Imagine going to send a text to your parents, and it doesn’t send due to not having Wi-Fi or service.
Obviously, there is the concern that if the students are given Wi-Fi, then they would be on their phones more, but most of the time students aren’t on their phones during class.
“I rarely am on my phone, and if I am, it’s because I’m sending a quick text to my mom or friend to double-check things,” said Jocelyn Denne.
Even if students are on their phones, the school has to realize that in the modern world teenagers are going to be on their phones. If being on the phones during class is such a concern, or the thought of phones disrupting class, why are teachers allowed to have Wi-Fi on their personal cells?
Teachers are there to teach, and even with their prep periods, they should be preparing for their upcoming class and don’t need their phones to have Wi-Fi.
Like the teachers say to the students, if it’s an emergency, “go to the front office.”
