Student cell phone plan still discussed

BREVARD — The Transylvania County Board of Education is still considering a policy that would restrict student use of cell phones and other wireless/ electronic devices.

The issue has been on the board’s monthly meeting agenda three times. Members said they would make a decision whether or not to approve the policy at the next meeting, slated for Aug. 18, because it still needs “fine tuning.”

“There was a great discussion (on the policy) at the work session last Tuesday,” Board Chairman Teresa McCall said.

A call for change

The proposed policy states that elementary and middle school students cannot have any of the devices on school property. High school students cannot use or have them in their possession during the instructional day, which runs from from 8 a.m. to 3:01 p.m.

Parents can request a hardship exception from the principal. These are exceptions unique to individual students and their situations.

The devices include, but are not limited to, cell phones, laser pointers, paging devices, two-way radios, iPods, CD/MP3 players, electronic games, PDAs, Bluetooth devices and any device that can take pictures.

High school students must keep the devices in locked cars or lockers during the school day so they are not accessible.

All students are allowed, with permission from the principal, to have the devices in their possession on yellow school buses if they are turned off. The use of the devices on activity buses is discouraged and will be under the discretion of the adult supervisor.

Consequences

The draft outlines several punishments for students who violate the policy.

n First offense — There will be a parent conference with the principal or appointee and a contract must be signed by the student, parent and principal or appointee.

n Second offense — The device will be confiscated and there will be a parent conference with the principal or appointee. The student may receive a three-day in-school or out-of-school suspension. The device will be returned to the parent after 45 calendar days.

n Third offense — The device will be confiscated and there will be a parent conference with the principal or appointee. The student may also receive a five-day in-school or out-of-school suspension. The device will be returned to the parent after 90 calendar days.

If a student is caught with the device during a test or quiz, he or she will automatically get a zero.

If the student does not comply with a school employee during confiscation of the device, he or she will be subject to a minimum of a three-day, out-of-school suspension.

The board plans to vote on the policy during the Aug. 18 meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Morris Education Center, Brevard.