Cell phones big distraction in area schools

By Annie McCallum

Published: September 11, 2008

Now that school is back in session, high school principals have a message for students: Put away those cell phones. Now.

What wasn’t a problem for school administrators just a few years ago has ballooned into a technological Catch-22. Cell phones are a staple for the modern student but a nuisance, or worse, in the classroom.

“Cell phones today are more than phones,” said Heritage High School principal Mark Miear. “Instances of cheating, text-messaging answers on tests, taking pictures of tests because they are cameras as well — there are so many things cell phones can do, not to mention ringing during class.”

At Heritage, Miear said, there’s a strict penalty for students caught using a phone during the school day. The first time, they get two hours of Saturday school. The second time, they receive a three-day suspension. In either instance, the cell phones are confiscated and must be picked up by parents.

Miear said he understands the many reasons parents might want to communicate with their children at school. But the rules are clear.

“I know what our policy is. They are not permitted to have them during the day. I see both sides of the argument, but we have to enforce the policy that we have,” he said.

According to Lynchburg City School Board policies and administrative regulations, “the possession or use of cellular telephones by students within school buildings is prohibited.” That policy hasn’t been revised since it was adopted in 1997.

Enforcing it can be time consuming for teachers and administrators.

“The number of violations is enormous,” Miear said.

Last school year, there were close to 400 disciplinary referrals in Heritage and E.C. Glass high schools, according to numbers submitted by the school division.

At Brookville High School, Principal Jim Whorley said next to attendance issues, cell phone usage is the most-referred discipline issue.

“We’re different than some (schools),” Whorley said. “We look at it two ways.”

If a cell phone goes off unintentionally, it’s confiscated and the student receives in-school suspension. If a student is talking or texting intentionally, the phone is confiscated and the student receives out-of-school suspension. In both cases, parents must pick up the phone.

“We know everyone is carrying them,” Whorley said.

The Campbell County policy, which division administration said was revised within the past several years, specifically states possession of “wireless communication devices” are only allowed if the “device is kept turned off and kept out of sight.”

Whorley said cell phones can be a disruption and he sees a need for consequences, but there’s also another perspective to consider — students need to learn when it’s appropriate to be on the phone.

“It’s also training them for what they will face later on,” Whorley said, noting in the business world a cell phone can’t just ring whenever; there’s etiquette to follow.

In Amherst County, the policy is the same as in Campbell County, but consequences are slightly different.

“The policy is you are allowed to have them, but they are not supposed to be on at any time in the building or on the bus,” said Ernie Guill, Amherst County High School principal.

On the first offense, a student’s phone is confiscated, they receive lunch detention and a parent has to pick up the phone. On the second offense, the student receives overnight suspension, which means a student is suspended out-of-school until an administrator can meet with their parent.

Administrators in Amherst, as in other divisions, reminded students of the cell phone policy when classes started last month.

“We go over it the first day and we meet with all kids in the building and it’s a point of emphasis,” Guill said. “They know right up front the rules and regulations.”

While area divisions might not have conclusive solutions to the cellular conundrum, there’s one thing most officials can agree on.

“They are a problem. I understand why parents want them to have them, I do understand,” Guill said.

“It’s a considerable problem.”