At Bob Jones High School, there is a rule that restricts you from wearing your AirPods or headphones in the hallways. I believe that students should be able to wear their AirPods and headphones in the hallways since it does not really do anything to compromise learning. While I understand it can be a distraction in a classroom setting, it is just in the hallway and does not pose a threat to anyone’s safety. I find it odd how the restriction of wearing AirPods and headphones is a focus when there are legitimate concerns.  

If the administrators believe AirPods and headphones pose more of a threat to a student’s safety than a fighting or illegal substances, then sure… ban AirPods, but I feel that vaping, littering, and even tardies are bigger problems than AirPods or headphones.

I can even understand no headphones in the parking lot or when outside the campus in general because according to PubMed 116 pedestrians wearing headphones are hit by cars every year. Cars cannot get into the school though, so it is not like a student is going to get hit by a Mazda while walking the hallways.

We’re told it’s a safety hazard to have your AirPods on in the hallways. If teachers needs to take you into their classrooms because there is an intruder and can’t get your attention because of your AirPods, I think the problem is school security, not Airpods. The adults are responsible for who enters and exits the buildings, so if someone can get into school, then the school needs to work on making the environment itself safer. And if there is an intruder, there are alarms and announcements across the school that are loud enough so someone with an AirPod in one ear can hear it. 

Previously, we were allowed to have one Airpod in while walking the hallways. If you just have one Airpod in, you still have an extra ear you can hear out of. If a teacher is not able to get a student’s attention, the student is probably purposefully ignoring them or the teacher isn’t loud or direct enough to get the student’s attention. Studies from Live Science show that our brains naturally block out music when something more important needs to be focused on. 

It’s the same thing with phones. Most students in the hall are on their phones, and their phones are a lot more distracting than their music. I am not saying I want phones banned; I am just saying that headphones and Airpods are not a legitimate problem when it comes to student safety. 

Some of the rules and regulations that are for “student safety” are totally valid, but this one feels unnecessary.