COLDWATER, Mich. — The debate over cell phones in the classroom continues.
At Monday’s Coldwater Board of Education meeting, board members approved a second reading of a new cell phone policy that would completely ban the use of cell phones during school hours.
According to district leaders, the goal of the policy is to reduce classroom disruptions and increase student engagement.
“The issue comes from when students were allowed in the high school to use it during lunch or during breaks, that type of behavior carries over into the classroom,” Paul Flynn, superintendent of Coldwater Community Schools, said.
He continued, “We’ve been in school a week and we’ve already had referrals for kids having their cell phones out in class, so we know that it’s going to be a learning curve and we know there’s going be an issue. We’re trying to change the focus to complete engagement in the classes and avoiding the other pitfalls.”
If a high schooler is caught with their phone, they’ll lose in on the first offence and have to pick it up at the end of the day.
The parents will have to be the ones to pick it up at the end of the day if its their second offense.
If it reaches a third offense, the student will have to go on a cell phone plan where they’ll have to turn in their phone consecutively for a five day span.
This ban is in effect during school hours, but it does not apply for extracurricular events, activities and field trips.
