The Coweta County Board of Education voted at their regular meeting on September 11 to change the School System’s policy regarding student possession of cell phones and similar electronic communication devices.

Prior to the board’s vote, student possession of a cell phone on school campuses was strictly prohibited. Effective September 12, students are permitted to have cell phones, though student use of cell phones and other electronic communication devices is strictly prohibited during the instructional school day.

The school board’s policy requires principals to apply very strict consequences to any students who use cell phones during school hours.

The School Board’s new policy is:

· Students may possess cell phones, pocket pagers, or similar electronic devices.

· Students observed using cell phones, pocket pagers, or electronic communication devices during the instructional day, except for health or unusual reasons approved by the Board of Education, will face serious consequences and will forfeit their ability to have such devices:

• Upon any infraction of the policy, cell phones will be confiscated immediately. Phones confiscated will only be released to parents.

• On the first infraction the phone will be confiscated and the student will be warned.

• On the second infraction the student will be given three days of in-school suspension.

• On the third infraction the student will be referred to Student Support Services for further disciplinary action.

· The instructional day is defined as the time period between a student’s arrival on campus and the final dismissal bell for all students. The instructional day includes lunch periods and class changes. School buses are extensions of the instructional day, and use of the devices mentioned above is prohibited while students are on buses. The final bell or dismissal time will vary from school to school, and each principal will define the dismissal time at their school.

· The use of cell phones includes making phone calls, receiving phone calls, ringing or other sounds, playing music or video, text messaging, use of cell phone cameras, or any other electronic function.

School principals began informing parents of the new policy this week by letter. In the letter, parents were advised that the best way for students to avoid infractions of the new policy was to keep cell phones and other electronic devices turned off at all times during the school day.

School System administrator Steve Barker told the board that the old policy was extremely difficult to enforce, but that prohibiting use of cell phones was important to maintain academic integrity in classes and to maintain orderly schools.

Board member Brian Roy said that many parents had asked for the board to reconsider the old policy, because they wanted their children to keep cell phones for emergency purposes after school. “I think this is the best compromise,” he said.

Board members made the policy change effective immediately, by amending the school system’s Student Code of Conduct policy. Board members asked Superintendent Blake Bass and schools to inform parents and students of the policy and “acclimate” students to the new rules in the coming weeks.

Superintendent Bass said that he would encourage principals and teachers to remind students to “turn off their cell phones” at the start of the first class and during morning announcements, to help students avoid breaking the rules.

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