School bells will be ringing in a matter of days, but cell phones in schools will not. At least, that’s the aim of the Indian River School Board’s policy, set this summer, that will restrict cell phone usage in school facilities and on school buses.
According to the policy, which was passed in late July, possession and use of cell phones will be prohibited in district elementary schools. In grades 6 through 12, students must leave their cell phones in their vehicles, or turned off and secured in their lockers.
Cell phone use is prohibited inside a school building, including classrooms, hallways, locker rooms, restrooms, shower facilities and in the cafeteria. Cell phone use is also prohibited on school buses to and from school and during school-sponsored activities. The penalty for a violation of the policy can range from in- and out-of-school suspensions to social probation, privilege restrictions and the confiscation of the cell phone.
“Cell phones have been the No. 1 problem in schools over the last years,” noted Indian River School Board Member Charles Bireley. “They cause a distraction and take away from students’ learning.”
Phones in the classrooms and main offices of schools are still accessible by students, board members acknowledged. Individual school principals are authorized to establish the exact procedure for violation of the cell phone policy in their schools.
According to School Board Member Donna Mitchell, more than 400 disciplinary referrals for cell phone usage were documented last year in Indian River and Sussex Central high schools alone.
“That doesn’t take into account the countless warnings teachers had to make,” she said. “Cell phones have become a real distraction in schools.”
Careful planning went into the development of the new policy, board members noted.
“We looked at different policies in other districts,” Mitchell said. “Some were severe and others were very loose. We came up with a compromise that should help students concentrate. We’re not trying to be mean to the teenagers, but the classroom is a place to learn, not socialize.”
A “no-cell phone” policy had been administered throughout schools in the district in years past, allowing students to keep their phones in their backpacks. However, according to board members, it was not being honored. The tighter policy will allow for fewer distractions in the classrooms, they argue.
“Students and teachers have told me themselves,” Bireley noted, “that kids will take calls and send messages right in the middle of class. It disrupts the lesson and disturbs all of the people around them.”
Mitchell addressed a number of problems that have surfaced with the use of cell phones in schools, including the taking and sending of inappropriate pictures, bullying or distracting with text messages and an underlying potential for cheating.
“The restrictions we had before weren’t enough,” she added. “There are students who could type and send text messages on their phone when it’s in their pocket. Kids would go off to the hallways, bathrooms, any nook and cranny, to be on their cell phones. They seem to have the temptation to be in constant communication with their friends.”
Board members said that, while some students may not agree with the new policy, the board is aware of the changing of times and culture.
“It is definitely a generational thing,” said Mitchell. “It’s hard to picture a teenager without a cell phone these days.”
“We didn’t have any such thing when most of us were growing up,” Bireley recalled, referencing himself and other board members. “Things are different these days, but we made out alright.”
District schools, as well as the board of education, have already taken responsibility to inform parents and students of the new policy, posting the restriction on school calendars and including information at open houses.
“We want to get the information out there,” said Mitchell.
While the Board of Education passed the policy, it is incumbent upon the principals to enforce it within the schools.
Mitchell added that school bus drivers have called her, thanking the board for the new policy, as cell phones had even caused a disturbance in transport. She also pointed out, though, that parents may request special permission from their child’s principal for clearance for that child to carry a cell phone, despite the policy. One such exception is for elementary school students who walk to and from school.
There are some students, however, who are not too keen on the new policy. Jillian Harkness, who will be entering her junior year at Indian River High School, said, “A lot of kids have sports and activities after school. They need a quick way to contact their parents. Sometimes things go wrong.”
For more information about the policy, visit the IRSD Web site at www.irsd.net or contact a school principal.