| The Principal's Page |
|
|
|
The Cell Phone Policy Explained Cell phones must be off and out of sight from the first bell of the day (7:40am) to the last bell of the day (3:04pm), or (4:00pm) for those in tutorials. If the phone is seen or heard, the student is to surrender the phone upon the request of an SISD staff member. The phone is placed in a labeled envelope and secured in the vault at the SISD office. Only the student’s parent can pick up the phone at the district office when the $15.00 charge is paid. If the student refuses to surrender the phone, the student will be assigned to three days in BMC on the first offense; five days BMC on the second offense; and DAEP will be assigned on the third offense. Additionally, the $15.00 fine will be assessed on each offense. The cell phone policy includes other electronic devices such as IPODs. MP3s, and computer games. It is nearing the end of the third week of school. The cell phone policy has been in place since the first day of school; however, many students are still not adhering to the policy. I believe it might be beneficial to reiterate the district’s reason to implement the policy. There are numerous reasons and except for the first, they are in no particular order. 1. Student safety and security in an emergency situation. There are numerous examples to cite. a. In one particular case, a lockdown occurred in a school when the principal learned of a possible weapon in the possession of a student. Once the lockdown was called, students immediately began texting and calling parents and friends to report the lockdown. So many calls were being made that the school officials could not call local law enforcement to help with the possible threat. b. In another case, a gas leak was detected and school officials began to evacuate the students to their predetermined emergency plan locations. Students immediately began making calls and texting. When emergency vehicles arrived to secure the area and locate the source of the leak, they could not get into the school parking area due to the number of parents who had arrived to take their children out of the danger area. Of course, this created an entirely more dangerous situation for everyone. c. Schools have emergency plans in place for most every scenario. The plans are first and foremost for student safety. Each staff member is charged with a particular task. We have to be able to put the students in a safe situation and it is historically accurate to say that students with cell phones create unsafe conditions in these situations. 2. Students using cell phones for texting or calling are distracted from the academic focus of the classrooms. 3. Cell phones with cameras are used to take photos and videos that have in many cases ended up harming another student. 4. Cell phones have been used to video fights that end up on the internet, they have been used for cheating on exams, they have been used for drug deals, and they have been used to transfer information that aids illegal activity. Now we know that cell phones are almost as much a part of the fabric of the current generation as the clothes on their back. We also know that students use cell phones for personal safety and security. We know that cell phones are used for communicating messages of value to students and parents. On these things we agree. It is important for each participant in the Somerville public school community to weigh the positives and negatives of cell phone use in the school day. Your school officials spent a considerable amount of time researching, studying, and discussing the cell phone policy. Ultimately we decided on a policy that weighed in favor of safety for all students. Students needing to use the phone can use the phone in the office with permission. Students have been allowed to call parents with their cell phone while in the office. Parents needing to leave their child a message can call the office to leave the message. Please try back in a few minutes if there is not an answer of if the phone is busy. Thanks Yegua Family -Mobley |