School Cell Phone Rules

[ThetaPrincess24]

Originally Posted by Army Wife'79

When I was a sub in a HS the students and their parents all signed a booklet on the first day of school with the school rules. This rule was in there (along with the no fighting, no saggy pants, etc) so they couldn't use the excuse " I didn't know the rule". That was before the school shooting at VA so maybe they have relaxed the rule now. I've heard in colleges the kids text each other and cheat on tests so I can see why teachers don't want them.

This was true at my nursing school. NO cellphones period. evenhtough all bookbags, purses and belongings were required to be at the front of the room during an exam, if your cell phone was on and went off during an exam it was considered an intent to cheat and you automatically failed the exam. I have seen people try to use them to cheat so I know it happens. I did have a couple of instructors that made an exception for me when last year my husband was having problems with the ex-wife and there was a chance someone not on the kids' pick up lists may try to take them out of school. So during exams i had my phone on vibrate and my instructors held my phone for me and watched for three numbers, but I let them know about that situation as soon as it started. I also didnt have a habit of allowing my phone to go off in class or leaving class to answer my phone. Scanning pens and calculators were also not allowed....and about half the instructors wouldnt let you tape record the classes either unless you had a form from the office of disabilities.

When i was in high school, cell phones were mainly in people's cars because they were all huge analog phones. A lot of students, myself included, did have pagers and those were confiscated if you were caught with one.

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by carnation

Can anyone tell me what the cell phone rules are in local secondary schools? Does anyone's school have a rule that states that the school can keep a phone that's been taken up until the end of the year? (Is that even legal?)

no, teacher's can't legally keep anything untill the end of the year. Sometimes parents let them, but parents can get the stuff back, especially for something like a cell phone.

Most schools around here are stupid and won't let any phones on campus. I agree that they should be off in class, but they could be usefull if something bad happens. Plus, there are pay phones in the hallway for inbetween class, I don't get why a cell phone would be different.

[AGDee]

The problem with cell phones are that you can 1) take a picture of your test and instantly send it to a friend who has the class later in the day, 2) text message answers back and forth all day long or look things up on the internet during an exam and 3) the distraction factor alone in a classroom setting. I feel badly for the poor teacher who is trying to lecture and they can see all these kids texting.

Honestly, while it seems harsh to say they'd keep it til the end of the year, there's really no reason for a kid to have it out anyway. If the kid follows the rules, no problem. My kid would be in big trouble if they even got to a second offense on this one. I didn't get them cell phones to goof off with them in school!

[33girl]

While they shouldn't have cellphones in school for the reasons Dee mentioned, I would have a REAL issue with the school keeping it till the end of the year. I'm assuming some of these phones have prepaid plans that you can't turn off, and I'd be irate if my money for the phone service was being wasted while it sat in a school office somewhere.

Please keep in mind that I'm relatively new to cell phone billing and such, but this isn't like keeping Johnny's slingshot for the year.

[AGDee]

I agree with you about that part and I'm sure I'd be furious.. I'm just not sure if I'd be more furious with my kid or the school. I think I'd be more ticked with the kid for not keeping the dang thing in their pocket/backpack or purse on THREE separate occasions. I think I would take their phone away from them after I had to pick it up from the office myself.

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by AGDee

I agree with you about that part and I'm sure I'd be furious.. I'm just not sure if I'd be more furious with my kid or the school. I think I'd be more ticked with the kid for not keeping the dang thing in their pocket/backpack or purse on THREE separate occasions. I think I would take their phone away from them after I had to pick it up from the office myself.

eeeeexactly!

it shouldn't be an issue if they would just follow the rules.

the parents should be mad at their kids for being idiots and taking it out during class for no reason in the first place. but of course nothing is ever the kid's fault anymore since all parents think their kids are perfect angels and are being picked on by the teachers

I would be furious at my son if he had it out when he knew he shouldnt be using it. I believe cell phones should be allowed on campus BUT either on off, vibrate or silent and definitely put away in a purse or in a pocket. With all these school incidents they need them ... it is valid to carry them. However, the school should not be able to keep them all yr long.

[KSUViolet06]

My younger brother is in middle school right now, but the district rule is the same for MS & HS students.

The students can have them, but they are not to be seen or heard during school hours.

The district used to confiscate items, but parents got upset so they changed it.

If a teacher sees/hears a student's cell phone (or other electronic device that is not needed for school or medical reasons):

1st offense: verbal warning
2nd offense: after school detention
3rd offense: in school detention ALL DAY (you basically spend all day in detention and the teachers send your work down to you)
4th offense: 3 day suspension

This policy also includes: cell phones, pagers, laser pointers, two-ways, sidekicks, iPods, other MP3 players, etc.

[epchick]

Originally Posted by 33girl

While they shouldn't have cellphones in school for the reasons Dee mentioned, I would have a REAL issue with the school keeping it till the end of the year. I'm assuming some of these phones have prepaid plans that you can't turn off, and I'd be irate if my money for the phone service was being wasted while it sat in a school office somewhere.

But at the same time, the school will only keep the phone at the 3rd offense. It isn't like the parents didn't know it was going to happen.

IDK about everyne else, but if my child reached the 2nd offense, i'll be damned if he/she keeps the phone. I'd take it away from them for the rest of the year.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by epchick

IDK

IDK my BFF Jill?


Sorry - I found that acronym funny in a thread about cell phones.


Carry on.

[SydneyK]

I can understand why the no cell phone rules exist, but let's face it, kids cheated before cell phones, and they'll cheat without them. I have seen guys with notes written on the inside of the brim of their hats; girls wearing skirts would write notes on their thighs and simply pull their skirt back a little to read them; students would leave pages with notes under their books on the floor and nudge the books aside with their feet to read their notes; etc...

I'm not saying cell phones should be allowed - I'm certainly a big fan of keeping them out of classrooms. But, if administrators think they're making headway against cheating by banning cells, they're sadly mistaken - students who cheat will just find another way to do it.

[Xidelt]

I teach middle school. Students are allowed to have cell phones, but they have to be turned off and out-of-sight. If they ring or students are using them, we take them up and turn them in to the office. Parents have to pick them up. Our big problem is students texting each other or calling parents from the bathroom.

[CuriousWildcat]

At my high school, you could have cell phones, but you could not use them. If you were caught using them you got into trouble (or in my case, it fell out of my pocket at lunch, a principal saw it, then checked through my text messages and saw I had been using it during school). 1st offense MOST teachers would just call you out and make you put it away then the 2nd time they would take it away for the rest of the day/class. After that most teacher's would take it to the office who would then send it to the school board and you have to have you parents go with you to pick it up, if if got sent to the school board again, then they kept it for the rest of the year.

In college, most people keep their phones on the desk next to them for most of the class, and just keep them on silent. Some profs get upset about it, but almost all of mine don't seem to mind unless it is a studio/lab/ensemble type class.

Honestly, in high school it is so easy to subtly use your cell phone that getting it taken away multiple times is just ridiculous!

[Buttonz]

In HS the rule was no phones, and if you had them they were supposed to be in the lockers or at the very least, in your bags. Most teachers were cool and didn't take them away or would give you it back at the end of class unless it was a constant issue...and that that point it would go down to the principle's office. Not sure what happened after that, seeing as how I only had a cell for the last not even three months of senior year.

In college now, most of my professors demand that they be kept off unless you have a situation that requires you to have it on vibrate. Mine never goes off *nor does most peoples* but I am very careful about answering it/texting during class.

[SoCalGirl]

Cell phones were still uncommon when I was in high school. Pagers/Beepers were what the cool kids carried. Unfortunately, Virginia Beach schools considered them to be drug paraphanalia. Having one on campus was grounds for immediate expulsion. Even during football games, etc, any adult caught with a pager would be required to leave it in their car. The only way they could keep it on them is if they proved they were a doctor.