School board considers new restrictions on cell phones

The Lawrence Township schools would become a cell phone-free zone, during school hours, according to a new policy under consideration by the Board of Education.

By:Lea Kahn Staff Writer
   The Lawrence Township public schools would be cell phone-free zones while school is in session, under a revised policy introduced by the township Board of Education at its Dec. 14 meeting.
   The policy requires students to turn off their cell phones when they are in the school buildings, and may be turned on outside the school building after classes are over for the day.
   Building principals may confiscate a student’s cell phone if the student violates the ban on cell phone use during school hours, said Interim Superintendent of Schools Thomas Butler. The cell phone would be returned to the student after school.
   Two companion policies aimed at cell phone use by teachers and support staff — prohibiting the use of the phones in the classroom — also were introduced at the Dec. 14 meeting. A second reading of the policies, which is required before final action is taken, is slated for the board’s Jan. 11 meeting.
   Cell phones have become increasingly popular with students and their families in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Dr. Butler said. The incident created anxiety on the part of some parents to keep in touch with their children, leading to the proliferation of cell phones, he said.
   Dr. Butler said it is not necessary for students to leave their cell phones turned on during the school day. Parents who need to get in touch with their child should call the main office at the child’s school, he said. If it is an emergency, a staff member will go to the classroom and get the child.
   There are other issues related to cell phone use, Dr. Butler said. Some cell phones have the capability of taking digital photographs, which could be an invasion of privacy, he said. There have not been any incidents in the Lawrence schools that he is aware of, he added.
   Cell phone users also have the ability to send text messages to each other, rather than to call one another, he said. Students who are taking a test could send each other answers to the questions, for example, he said.
   "There have been reports in other school districts of students using text messages to communicate answers to a test," he said. "I don’t know of any incidents here (in Lawrence). We are looking at the issue (of cell phone use) from those perspectives."
   Teachers and staff members also must refrain from using their cell phones during the school day, Dr. Butler said. The policy allows them to use a cell phone during the school day if the call cannot be made before or after work — if it is made during lunch or a break period. The call must be made outside of the presence of students, in a specially designated area inside the school.
   "For a teacher to have a cell phone turned on, it is disruptive (if the cell phone rings)," Dr. Butler said. "If I am teaching a lesson, I don’t want to be interrupted. It’s an educational issue. You are here to work."