Texting is now the primary way of communication among many teenagers, but some teachers and parents don't think texting is appropriate during class time.

"Texting during class is disruptive, unnecessary and takes away from learning in class. However, enforcement of the no-phones rule is a joke at this school," said Peter Graham, a science teacher at Santa Fe High School.

Graham noted that problems have arisen around teenagers texting during class and not paying attention inside the classroom.

"I think it is really easy to get away with texting in class; that's why so many students do it," said Madeleine Chavez, a freshman at Santa Fe High School.

It has become such a big problem that it is even mentioned in the Code of Conduct. "Middle and high school students are allowed to possess cell phones, provided the phones are not turned on or visible during instructional time or inside school buildings," reads a section on texting in the Santa Fe Public School Code of Conduct.

"Despite the rule, I see a lot of people text during class," said Sophie Diaz, a freshman at Santa Fe High School. "They usually text their friends, and it's kind of pathetic how teachers do not notice. And because the teachers don't notice, the students think they will never get caught."

Parents, including Veronica Baca, are now trying to discourage their children from texting during school hours. They are setting rules and limitations for their children.

"I tell my child to not text in class, and he is a good kid so he'll listen. But if he was caught texting in class, I would take his phone away," said Veronica Baca, the mother of Andrew Baca, a Santa Fe High freshman.

Although teenagers mainly use their cell phones for recreation, there are reasons that teenagers need cell phones.

"I think the primary reason for allowing Kevin to have a phone is primarily safety reasons, in case of emergency or if I need to get a hold of him," said Ronald Segura, father of Kevin Segura, a freshman at St. Michael's High School.

But many teenagers stray from using their phones "in case of emergency" to using them for texting during class, said Andrew Baca, a freshman at Santa Fe High School.

"I think teens are using their phones to text and play games in class rather than calling their parents in emergencies," Andrew Baca said.

Nationwide statistics show that around the country, texting during a class has become a problem. The efforts of schools and parents are not helping much to dissuade teenagers from texting in class.

According to the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project Surveys, 58 percent of teens at schools that ban phones have sent a text message during class.

According to that same survey, 43 percent of all teens who take their phones to school say they text in class at least once a day or more. Also, 64 percent of teens with cell phones have sent a text during class; and 25 percent have made or received a call during class time.

According to Superintendent Bobbie Gutierrez, Santa Fe Public Schools has confiscated 402 cell phones this school year due to student misuse and violation of the Code of Conduct. Last school year, approximately 1,100 cell phones were confiscated in the secondary schools.

The solution to this problem is not simple.

"I see a lot of students check their phones every five minutes for a text," said student Diego Marquez. "It's like an addiction."

However some teachers are using the teenager's addiction to texting as an incentive.

"If the student is doing his work and paying good attention during class, he or she may make a quick text after I am done lecturing," said John Dotts, a history, law and Latin teacher at Santa Fe High School.

Michelle Parry, a freshman at Santa Fe High School agrees with Dotts.

"I think it's an awesome idea, because most of the students in class are focused on texting and not getting caught," Parry said. "If they were allowed to text, no one would be focused on not getting caught texting, and then maybe they'd actually pay attention to the lesson."

Many students want to have a meeting where students and teachers can talk about a solution to texting in class. One of these students is Nick De La O, a sophomore at Santa Fe High School.

"I think the only way to settle this is to see what the administration and teachers want, and what the students want," De La O said. "We can mediate this problem and I think the solution is to allow texting in class, but only after lecture and other things that require full attention in class is finished."

Yujie Ding is a freshman at Santa Fe High School. You can reach him at gnrocks2846@gmail.com.