A new semester brings new changes on every front. With this new semester a new change will be implemented to the current cell phone policy at Bolles.

In this semester students will be allowed to use their phones in free periods to do whatever they want, not only that which pertains to academics.

Previously if using a cellphone for a non-academic purpose between 8:00AM and 3:45PM you would receive two demerits. With this new policy in place, unless using a cellphone in class, you will not be reprimanded.

The idea to change the current cell phone policy to a more liberal way was sparked by Mr.Hodges.

The changes happened through a meeting between the student council and Mr. Hodges. Mrs. Vagenas, a college advisor and a overseer of student council members, said, referring to the meeting, “It’s run in a very formal manner with Robert’s Rules of Order in a parliamentarian fashion.”

The meetings student council have are held at 6:30PM on Monday’s and are used to discuss school related issues and policies of Bolles. The meetings usually consist of about 20-25 people, varying based on the topic or issue.

The student council had a good about 30 minutes to discuss the policy with Mr. Hodges and it was an overall positive conversation which resulted in some significant changes to the Bolles cell phone policy. The meeting consisted of Mr. Hodges asking the student government what their opinions were on the current policy and what they would change.

The main concern Mr. Hodges and the school had about the policy changes were about social media and texting replacing human interaction.

The meeting was a very positive experience for faculty and students together and accomplished a lot in changing the old policy.

Even if the new policy doesn’t end up lasting or major changes are made to it throughout the rest of the year. It still shows a willingness for Bolles to compromise with the student body to make significant changes to their policies.

Mrs. Vagenas said, “Regardless of what happens with the new changes, the students were able to be heard.”

This shows a big change for Bolles and it’s students in the future years and how the student council can have a very big effect on student life.