Cell phone policy on hold

The Hillsborough School Board won't be making major changes to the cell phone policy today. A proposal to crack down on student abuse of cell phones has been pulled off the agenda. Board members want to have a chance to discuss it at a workshop, which has not yet been scheduled.

This may buy time for students to cross their fingers -- or lobby -- for more leniency in the rules. School officials are suggesting that they must keep their cell phones must be off and out of sight during the school day.

If students break the rules, they would receive one warning before having the cell phone confiscated. Three strikes would result in detention. On the fourth offense, the student would face in-school suspension.

Comments

[David]

The cell phone policy is a joke. If you have a policy in place, and everyone has been informed...why do they need a warning? And upon your 4th offense get detention? What in the world is that going to do? Either allow cell phones in school and let them use them in the halls, anytime they are out of class, or ban them altogether, those are the only solutions that will work! Anything else is just spitting in the wind!

[Timmy!]

Why should we expect any more enforcement effort with cell phones than tardies, hats, iPods, etc?

The district can't even keep up with arrest records of teacher applicants!

More asst superintendents have lost their gonads when it comes to supporting the board policies. Ask principals how often they get torpedoed. Why even make the effort?

Nothing more than cursory glances, nods to the policy: business as usual.

The kids rule.

[what a joke]

This shows you how OUT OF TOUCH they are... this policy is a huge joke, and the time they are wasting to "discuss" annoys me. I would love the salary and down time to discuss silly policies... But I am getting 1/3 or 1/5 their salary and am very busy teaching…

The bottom line is that most teachers won't enforce this because they will spend their entire day taking away cell phones, being in charge of confiscated cell phones, and turning them in (along with all that paperwork) to the front office at the end of each day...

Heck, we wouldn't even have room to store all these kids once they get detention...

What a joke... get with the program SB. Say NONE at all or leave it be.

Why not add: If you bring 'em to school (against policy) and they (phone, iPod) gets stolen, forget about reporting it or having anyone investigate. It shouldn't have been brought to school, you knew it, now deal with it - AND tell mommy & daddy.

[Pinellas Teacher]

The current cell phone policy in Pinellas high schools is also a JOKE....except to us teachers it's not funny. In my first period class of 30 students, at any given time, approximately 60% of students are texting, checking emails (they all have smartphones or blackberries now), piggybacking on the school's wifi, taking pictures. Today I confiscated a phone from a habitual abuser, only to find her texting away 5 minutes later on someone else's phone, which I also confiscated. She said it was a matter of life and death, and was waiting for her mom to text her back. The parents know they should not be communicating via text, but they don't care. Sometimes I feel like I am a babysitter in a day care center for pre-schoolers. A never-ending battle.

[Timmy!]

Bingo Pinellas Teacher!

You are a teenage warehouse worker at worst or a daycare attendant at best.

Learning is a change of behavior. It's your call.

If learning is occurring or not its still considered your responsibility.

[Pinellas Veteran Teacher]

The Pinellas School Board decided to allow students to carry cellphones mainly for the purpose of personal and national security after 9/11. However, in Pinellas County, I know of no public school being housed or situated on the top of a 100 story skyscraper where students need to be walking around campuses with cellphones in hand during the school day. Effective solution- hit them where it hurts the most- in the pocketbook. Fine students and /or parents. First offense using cellphone during class time- $5.00, with $5 or $10 increments with each additional infraction. It's high time that this social services mindset in the school system will be able to make some money off the chronic rule-breakers! Students need to learn responsibility and that when they break rules (run a red light, bouncing a check etc.) in the real world they don't get a detention. The court system imposes fines and/or jail time.

[Bill]

If teachers would actually get off their butts and walk around the room every once and a while maybe the kids would listen to your policies.

LAZY - OVERPAID!

[Fed Up Reading Teacher]

Bill--obviously your comments are only meant to inflame teachers; however, I will respond only in that as a teacher I know of very few teachers who actually sit down the entire time. The issue with cell phones is that as soon as I am Johnny's desk taking his phone, Sally is snapping a camera pic of another student. So I take Sally's phone and Jill is sending a text message. Now multiply that situation by 25 (if you can do math--then thank a teacher) and you will see that I have far more important things to do than walk around all period performing search warrants for phones. The argument that students have phones out because students don't walk around is akin to saying that people rob banks and steal cars because cops are not patrolling. Students must learn that the rules are rules and consquences for breaking them should be relevant and harsh enough to deter future abuses. Taking a phone three times before issuing a detention is ridiculous. Let's take away a person's cocaine three times before we arrest them.

[Bill]

Please let the above comment reflect the main reason why teachers are overpaid.

A reading teacher with no concept of basic grammar. Sad.

[Fed Up reading Teacher]

LOL @ Bill!

[John]

You are absolutely right, Bill. Why worry about grammar when you have people reading what you are blogging that use one word sentences? Perhaps if the blogger had said: leave the @#$%^ phone off while I be teeching you younguns.

[dm]

The state of Florida and districts are not serious about education when they allow cell phones in schools. This is a massive joke but nobody wants to stand up and stop it. (Zero need for phones in schools) Students have used them to set up fights, arrange drug deals on campus, and call in fake bombs scares from the restroom. Mommy and daddy could care less. They feed the habit and usually pay the bills. I wonder how they can afford that cell phone bill but not a pencil? Shame on the state and shame on the districts for being cowards. Of course parents will blame schools when their kid (texting for hours) fails. Give me a break.

[Bill]

John,

I don't even understand your post.

[John]

Let me type this real slow so you can read it. You stated that the teacher was lacking in grammatical skills in the previous blog entry. I was commenting that, in your blog, you had used a one word sentence. Thereby questioning your grammatical skills. I went further to use 'humor' and incorrect english to state that educators need to be heard and students do not need to use their phones during class to communicate with whoever.

[LA]

Oh my.... Who is paying the cell phone bills for these kiddies??? Seems like the parents are sitting on their butts. Leave the teachers alone. I am so thankful for my childrens teachers and so appalled by all the crap they have to put up with from these overly indulged children with the same manners that mommy and daddy share at home.