Aviva Markowitz
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Bells are not a good option for signaling class is over in schools. It is said that bells can be a sensory overload for some students, causing anxiety and extra stress. Autistic students in schools find that the noise is “distressing”. Students who are from different countries that aren’t safe are very alarmed by the bells constantly going off. One expert offered using classical music as a substitute, but later said that it can also infuriate students who don’t appreciate it. Having bells disrupt an environment that is supposed to be calm can distract students from learning, and make school into a scarier place to be.
An easier way that schools have implemented the no-bell rule is that teachers would tell students when it was time to go to their next class. It takes time for teachers to get used to it, but that idea has worked best out of everything offered AKA bells or other types of alarms. Some classes have decided to create a buffer in the beginning like a game or a warm up and at the end of class to make it a smoother transition for students, and so that less will be late. Many classes have also been more flexible with time until they are fully adjusted. There are so many better options to loud bells that trigger many students with high sensitivity like classical music intermissions, or teachers telling students when to be in class.