The phone pocket system is a new system introduced in the 2025-2026 school year in Roosevelt High School, with the goal of stopping students from carrying phones. Teachers enforce this by taking notes on students whose phones are in their pockets. 

The phone pocket system is quite new and is meant to be a way to stop the problem of students being on phones, but that begs the question of how effective this new system is. The students have to put their phones in their assigned phone pockets, and then the teachers check if the students put their phones in the pockets. This may seem at first quite effective because it gets the phone off the students, and the teacher can check with them to make sure they put it in there.

However,  students do have ways of getting rid of their phones, such as putting their phone case in their assigned phone pocket or saying they don’t have their phone on them when they do, but is this even really done? Also, do teachers even really enforce this system, or is it more of a recommendation than anything? We conducted some interviews with teachers and students alike to get their opinions on this new system.

Sophomore student Kegan O’Brien was asked about his opinion on the new phone pocket system, and his response was a thumbs down. The IB biology teacher, Ms. Reigstad, said that the new phone system was good and effective, though it could be improved. The journalism and avid teacher, Mr Cousins, says how the new phone system is ok, but says how it’s hard to enforce due to some classes having students use phones and how its effectiveness is somewhat middle of the road.

It seems that the teacher and student thoughts on this phone system are very split. Students tend to dislike the phone system or be indifferent to it, and some teachers are very iffy on it but still agree it’s better than nothing, while other teachers seem to quite enjoy this new phone system.

The phone pocket system has seen some differences in how it’s done, with being more like a phone box or some having colored pockets and some having names on them, and others not. Another difference of interest is how not every teacher assigns phone pockets, with some just having you keep it in your backpack and taking it if they see it.