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Schools regulate use of electronic devices
Published August 23, 2009
Dylan Price never has had his cell phone confiscated, but if he had, he’d pay the $15 fine to get it back.
“I don’t think I would pursue any other course of action” if his phone were taken by a teacher, the incoming Brazoswood High School senior said.
If a Brazosport ISD student’s electronic device is seen by a teacher or administrator, it can be confiscated and cost $15 for retrieval. Price said such rules governing electronics at school — primarily cell phones — are reasonable but could be more flexible.
“It depends on the situation,” Price said. “Sometimes there’s not really anything going on and someone’s just texting. Other times it’s disruptive to the class.”
Brazoria County school officials said the disruptions — not to mention the possibility of cheating — are among the main reasons why they have policies banning the use of cell phones, MP3 music players, PDAs and other electronic devices during classtime.
But Brazosport, Alvin, Angleton, Columbia-Brazoria, Danbury and Sweeny ISDs all allow them on campus so long as they’re used only before or after school hours.
“If there are issues, they can contact their parents and keep them apprised of what’s going on,” Brazosport ISD Assistant Superintendent Dennis McNaughten said. “Also, in some cases, (activity) sponsors will text practice times after school. Back in the day, they’d all need to use the one phone in the office, so from that standpoint, it’s a good thing.”
From another standpoint is the potential for bad things — the majority of students today have cell phones and most of those have cameras, Sweeny ISD Superintendent Randy Miksch said.
“There are so many things they can use them for that aren’t proper uses,” Misch said. “They can take a picture of a test and send it to another student, text during class, receive stuff from outside. It’s just so hard to monitor that. Students are here for educational purposes and not that.”
At Sweeny, “they can bring them but they can’t be visible,” Miksch said. If that rule is broken, there are four levels of action, each carrying a $15 fine.
At the first offense, the device is confiscated until the end of the week. An additional week is added for the second offense, and punishment is three weeks for the third. If there’s a fourth violation, the device is taken until the end of a semester.
SWATTING MOSQUITOS
Any property that contains obscenity, pornography or contraband in violation of Texas law is subject to destruction, according to information from the Texas Education Agency. That certainly includes cell phones, and Brazoria County school districts have not been exempt from instances where students have taken and shared inappropriate photos of themselves or classmates.
“Kids take pictures of everything and share those pictures with everyone,” McNaughten said. “If it’s posted on the Internet, that picture never goes away and some day could cause extreme embarrassment problems.”
Some students might try to use a “mosquito ringtone,” or ultra-high frequency sounds which reportedly cannot be heard by adults. While there’s no solid data stating such ringers work as advertised, they are available for download on the Internet.
“Mosquitos” do sometimes work but aren’t widely used, Price said.
“It really depends on the case,” he said. “Some people have better hearing when they get older. But I don’t think many people use them anymore because they became as annoying to students as they were to teachers.”
Phones must be turned off and will be confiscated if they make any sound, any vibration or display any lights, McNaughten said.
Punishments apply to all electronic devices, but the problem is almost entirely cell phones, Angleton High School Principal Lisa Davis said. Districtwide, Angleton assesses a $15 fee for retrieval, which must be done by parents.
“We don’t have much of a problem with iPods,” Davis said. “And if a student has had a phone taken away at one point, they usually don’t have it taken away again.”
Parents don’t put up much of a fight because the policy is enforced throughout the district and the punishment is the same for everyone, she said.
Alvin ISD assesses a $15 retrieval fee every time a device is confiscated, and parents must pick them up.
Money from fines goes into student activity funds at most districts, but at Alvin ISD, the fines fund “communication” scholarships, district spokeswoman Shirley Brothers said. Last year, those fines added up to seven scholarships of $500 each.
While electronic devices occasionally are found at middle school, there’s not much trouble at the elementary level, Davis said.
PROTECTING PRIVACY
Habitual offenses will be dealt with as a discipline problem as defined by a district’s code of conduct, Danbury ISD Superintendent Eric Grimmett said. The first offense at Danbury will result in confiscation and parents must retrieve the device, but there’s no fee. The same applies the second time, but with a $15 fee.
In the case of a third offense, the device is taken for the rest of the school year, plus the fee.
“Students aren’t allowed to display, turn on or use an electronic device on school property during the school day,” Grimmett said. “After school is out, you’ll see youngsters outside calling for a ride home or talking to parents. That’s allowed.”
But unless parents have a hands-free device on their phones, they won’t be allowed to talk back in school zones. House Bill 55 — which becomes law Sept. 1 — makes it illegal to use a wireless communication device such as a cell phone in a school zone unless the vehicle is stopped or a hands-free device is used, according to information from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Cities or counties must post a sign at the beginning of each school zone informing drivers of the change. Emergency calls are allowed, a public safety news release states.
At Columbia-Brazoria ISD, devices used in violation of the rules first are taken for 24 hours and a $10 fine is assessed, Columbia High School Assistant Principal Chris Miller said. The punishment is the same for a second offense, but on the third, a parent must pick up the device. A fourth violation will result in confiscation for a semester, he said.
“They must remain out of sight during the instructional day,” Miller said. “With cameras on phones now, it’s become an issue with testing and with some of the things you see on the Internet. Ultimately, this is to protect the privacy of our students.”
John Lowman covers Brazoria County for The Facts. Contact him at (979) 849-8581.
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