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Tuesday, September 2, 2008 6:46 PM EDT
School: The cell phone dead zone
By Tyler Briggs
Olean Times Herald
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| Ninth-grader Abby Kahm (left) and eighth-grader Chelsea Gergel text away on their cell phones in front of Olean Middle School Aug. 29. When school starts, Olean students, as well as many other students in the area, won't be allowed to use their cell phones during school hours. Photo by Tyler Briggs |
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Can you hear me now? School officials hope not as they try to combat the rising popularity of cell phones and restrict their use during the upcoming school year.
“Every district has issues around cell phones,” Olean City School District Superintendent Dr. Colleen Taggerty said. “I do know there have been nationwide incidents that have led every district to examine cell phone policies.”
Dr. Taggerty said Olean’s cell phone policy was updated this past year. The new policy allows students to use their cell phones before and after school, but forces them to keep cell phones in their lockers during class.
Some students have issues with keeping their phones in their lockers.
Abby Kahm, a ninth grader at Olean Middle School, admits she wouldn’t be able to survive without her cell phone and must constantly have it with her. She’s had one since sixth grade.
“I don’t like keeping it in my locker,” she said. “I like having it with me. I love my phone.”
Another issue students have is that lockers don’t necessarily prevent other students from stealing cell phones.
“A lot of people get them stolen from their lockers,” said Chelsea Gergel, an eighth grader at Olean Middle School. “You’re worried about getting them stolen.”
Chelsea also points out that some students are confused about the policy because some teachers allow students to bring cell phones to class, as long as they’re off.
Melanie Gergel, Chelsea’s mom, doesn’t have any issue with the school’s policy, however.
“It would take focus away from school,” Mrs. Gergel said. “I know there’s be a bigger chance of cheating because [students] can take pictures now.”
Mrs. Gergel isn’t worried about reaching her daughter at school in case of an emergency.
“I think [cell phones] should be used for what they’re attended for, so I know where she’s at,” Mrs. Gergel said. “I can send her a text message. She’d get it after school. If I had to get a hold of her right away, I would call the office. She knows that.”
Like Olean, Franklinville Central School District updated their cell phone policy recently, not allowing students to use them during school.
“We felt it would be best to be proactive,” Superintendent Dennis Johnson said. “There wasn’t any specific incident to cause us to (update the policy).”
The first time students at Franklinville don’t adhere to the rules, their cell phone is confiscated by a teacher and returned at the end of the day. The second time, the student’s parents must come in to pick up the phone. For a third violation, students’ cell phones are confiscated for five days.
The punishment may seem harsh, but Mr. Johnson said he deems it necessary to prevent serious incidents from happening. He and other school officials were worried about the video capabilities of modern cell phones.
“Once a picture is taken and loaded on the Web, it can’t come off,” he said. “Once it’s on the damage is done. Just think of the potential damage to a person’s reputation and psyche. By eliminating the opportunity to do that, the risk to students is reduced.”
Pioneer Central School District knows all too well the video capabilities of cell phones.
Last Spring the school had a few incidents with inappropriate pictures being taken by students, Superintendent Jeffrey Bowen said.
“We had two to three incidents with pictures that could be considered pornography on cell phones,” Mr. Bowen said. “That is something we acted on.”
Like Olean and Franklinville, Pioneer’s three-year policy has prohibited cell phone use by students during school, and the incidents only helped reinforce that, Mr. Bowen said.
“It didn’t change our policy,” he said. “We ended up using it as an opportunity. It led us to reinforce the message to students that they need to be careful. There’s terrific vulnerability on their part, being made into victims and harassed by what is posted.”
Video capabilities aren’t the only reason cell phones aren’t allowed during school, Mr. Bowen said.
“We find cell phones can be distracting,” he said. “If it’s not enforced, we have a continuous chronic interruption to the education process.”
Mr. Bowen said he and the school knew they couldn’t just ban cell phones from school premises.
“We recognized the reality. Kids will bring these things to school,” he said. “They’re like a third arm for a lot of our children. Kids do have reasons for cell phones, for their place of work, for rides from parents.”
Belfast Central School also forces students to keep cell phones in their lockers, but administrators admit it’s difficult to enforce.
“It goes in spurts,” Superintendent Judy May said. “Right at the beginning of the school year it is [a problem]. More and more kids have cell phones. I’ve even seen first-graders with cell phones.”
“It’s a constant negotiating point,” Jennifer Amos, principal of grades five through 12 said. “Kids are often surprised when they’re called out for breaking that rule. Kids will keep them in their pockets and text in their (hooded sweatshirt) pockets. I’d guess that 70 percent of students in (grades) seven to 12 have cell phones.”
Cell phones aren’t completely banned at Belfast Central.
“If they need to use a cell phone, they can come here and ask to use it in the office,” Ms. Amos said. “That’s okay with me. It does help us make sure our students are safe.”
Like Belfast, Wellsville Central School District acknowledges the struggle to enforce their cell phone policy, which, like many other schools in the area, forces students to keep them in their lockers during the school day.
“With advances in technology today, it’s very difficult to enforce,” Superintendent Dr. Byron Chandler said. “I’m not going to tell you for a minute we don’t have cell phones in the classroom. Over the years, it’s become a standard piece of equipment for kids.”
While most schools in the area regulate students to keep their cell phones in their lockers, Portville offers a more lenient approach.
Portville Central School District’s policy, created early this decade, bans cell phone use during classroom time, but allows students to use them in the hallways in between classes.
“We’re going to start out the year allowing that,” Principal Kevin Curran said. “This is a trial basis. If we see increases in tardies to class or harassment we’ll review it.”
Mr. Curran said the policy was developed to balance technology with students’ needs.
“It’s a bit more liberal than other policies,” he said. “It’s a balance of the technology of today with the needs of students in the school building. I look it as more of a privilege.”
Mr. Curran said that school is a perfect place to help educate students about cell phones.
“It’s amazing, the percentage of kids that have cell phones,” he said. “We need to educate students on the proper use of things. Why not teach them how to properly use cell phones?”
(Contact reporter Tyler Briggs at tbriggs@oleantimesherald.com)
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