No cell phones for students in schools this year

HALEYVILLE    - A new state law is putting students using their cell phones during school hours on hold.
House Bill 166, the Student Cell Phone and Electronic Device Policy, prohibits the use, operation or possession of wireless communication devices on certain public school properties any time during an instructional day. The law required local school boards to adopt a wireless communication device policy no later than July 1 of this year.
Haleyville City and Winston County school systems are following the new state law and implementing policies for the new school year that will strictly prohibit the use of cell phones by students any time during the school day.
However, these school systems are taking the perceived negatives behind the new state law and turning them into positives.
Candy Garner, interim HCS superintendent, stressed the local board’s policy prohibits students’ use, display or activation of personal electronic devices during the school day on school property, including hallways, classrooms, restrooms, cafeterias and common areas, according to the HCS policy.
Students, the HCS policy further reads, can use these devices before and after school hours, outside of school buildings, under staff supervision for approved instructional activities or during emergencies.
“Devices must be powered off and stored in lockers, backpacks or other designated areas during the school day,” the HCS policy reads.
The HCS policy also the following disciplinary action that will be followed regarding violations of the policy.
First offense: Verbal warning: documented by office and teacher via a shared Google document, parent notified by office;
Second offense: Device given to teacher, who will take it to the office when time allows or call an administrator to pick up the device. “The phone will remain safely stored in the office until a parent/guardian arrives to retrieve it,” the HCS policy stated.
Third offense: 1-2 day in-school suspension and parent must retrieve phone;
Further offenses: Subject to additional disciplinary actions, up to and including the possibility of extended suspension, loss of extracurricular privileges and/or loss of privilege to bring devices to school, the policy further explains.
The HCS policy does not apply to the following: students with documented medical conditions, emergency situations where communication is necessary for safety or school-authorized device usage for administrative pre-approved classroom assignments or testing.
“It is a state law that has been passed down by the governor to us,” Garner stressed. “For us (and) for our students, it will be a learning curve for them because they have been accustomed to wearing smart watches, they have been accustomed to coming to school with their cell phones.
“What we hope is that students become more active in conversation and they will grow accustomed to a different lifestyle,” Garner added.
“We are going to make sure every teacher in our system has a copy of the law in their classroom,” Garner emphasized. “They are going to explain that to students.
“It cannot, and won’t be, where one teacher does it and one teacher doesn’t,” Garner further stressed. “It has to be statewide.”
Numerous studies show that cell phones and other electronic devices are not only negatively affecting the learning environment, also showing that increased social media consumption by children may negatively affect their mental health.  These statistics playing in to the adoption of the new state law, which also requires local boards of education to adopt an internet safety policy.
“As director for the Alabama Education Association, I am going to oversee their policies,” stated Wendy Lang, AEA UniServ district 5 director, about the cell phone policies schools are having to create.
“There’s good and bad in everything. I think (with) cell phones, there’s good and bad,” Lang stated. “The legislature saw enough in this that they felt like this was necessary to the success of students in schools.”
Lang then applauded Haleyville City Schools for being very proactive in the implementation of its local policy.  She added that she is working with Winston County Schools on its policy, she said.
 
Teachers, staff also held to 
accountability; 
online safety course, surveys to be 
required

Although the new law pertains only to students, teachers and staff will be held to higher accountability as well, Garner indicated.
“While this law pertains only to students, teachers will be encouraged and expected to set good examples in the learning environment, just as they always have,” Garner emphasized.
“We are blessed with a wonderful faculty and staff who have student learning at the forefront of each school day,” Garner added.
“While this state law and school policy will be an adjustment for each of us, I’ve no doubt that we will master this new challenge with stellar success,” Garner stated.
“I don’t think you need to restrict your adults at all,” Lang added. “I think the adults need to be mindful of that situation.
“I do know, as a former classroom teacher,” Lang continued, “I received calls and texts all day long from parents. You can’t neglect that.  In this day and age, it’s easier to text the teacher than it is to call the school all of the time. Do I agree with that? No, but it’s just the fact of the matter.”