SYLACAUGA City schools will have stricter consequences for students caught with cell phones and other electronic devices during the instructional day.Dr. Kelly Wesley-Lakey, student services coordinator with the School System, said students are permitted to bring cell phones to school, but they must keep the phones either in their lockers or vehicles.
We understand the need for cell phones as it relates to student safety, she said. This helps provide parents with a peace of mind that their children are safer and they can reach their parents if needed. We have put limits on the use of cell phones during the school day because we trust our students to make responsible and respectful choices in this regard.
In addition, we are counting on our parents to support our efforts to provide safe and appropriate educational environments for all of our students, before, during and after school hours.
Wesley-Lakey said the previous consequences for having a cell phone during the school day were one day of in-school suspension for the first offense, two days of in-school suspension for the second offense and one day of out-of-school suspension for the third offense.
The Student Code of Conduct now states that students who violate the rules will be penalized as follows:
First offense phone confiscated and returned to the parent/guardian the following day. The student will be assigned one day of in-school suspension.
Second offense phone confiscated and returned to the parent/guardian after a fee of $20 has been paid. The student will be assigned one day of out-of-school suspension.
Third offense phone confiscated and returned to the parent/guardian after a fee of $40 has been paid. The student will be assigned two days of out-of-school suspension.
Fourth offense phone confiscated and returned to the parent/guardian after a fee of $60 has been paid. The student will be assigned three days of out-of-school suspension and referred to Alternative School.
We talked to a variety of stakeholders in our system, and solicited feedback from school administrators and teachers, from parents and students and from community leaders, Wesley-Lakey said. It would be easy to just say, Im sorry, but there are too many issues related to cell phones, so we can not allow them in school. However, we realize that cell phone use is a culturally embedded activity now. And cell phones are so ubiquitous that it would be a losing battle to truly ban cell phones, especially in high schools.
We need to focus on teaching our students to make responsible and respectful decisions in all aspects of their lives, including the use of technology.
Wesley-Lakey said cell phones have become not only an unnecessary distraction in class, but also a tool for cheating and for harassing people.
She said the system has recently developed a board policy prohibiting cyber bullying.
Barry Matson, chief prosecutor for the Alabama Computer Forensic Laboratories with the Alabama District Attorneys Association, will be a guest speaker at Nichols-Lawson Middle School and Sylacauga High School during the fall semester.
We are excited that he has agreed to work with us to provide information to our parents and students about safety issues associated with technology, Wesley-Lakey said. One of the many things he does is prosecute Internet crimes in the state of Alabama. Cyber bullying is an issue that we hear more and more about every day.
