Bell-to-Bell Cell Phone Policy

Research shows that adolescents spend, on average, 9 hours a day on non-school-sanctioned technology, and that social media use and texting during instructional hours detract from a student’s ability to focus

Students with medical or health needs (e.g., diabetic monitoring) may receive accommodations on a case-by-case basis, which will be determined with a 504 or IEP.

Participation in overnight trips, athletic activities, field trips, etc., will be at the advisor’s discretion.

Yes. Any device that can transmit communication or receive notifications, such as smartwatches, must be turned off and stored away.

Students will be assigned a NuKase to house their cell phones and other personal technology. The Case will be kept with the student at all times. At the end of the day, students will unlock their NuKase, retrieve their cell phone, and leave the case at the school.

If a student arrives after homeroom, their case will be locked at the front desk. If a student leaves early, their case will be unlocked at the front desk

Unfortunately, many phone violations take place during passing periods, lunch breaks, and free periods. This is the time when students take or share inappropriate videos and pictures of themselves or their classmates. Even in such a short period of time, this can influence the mental state of students who are on the receiving end of these social media shares in their next class period.

You may call the school office, and they will be able to relay information to your student or students may also use the phone in the school office to call home if needed.

During an emergency, we all want instant information to ensure our loved ones are safe. However, law enforcement agencies have concluded that having personal devices during an emergency can cause several issues:

• Potential to delay emergency response time: During a crisis, widespread cell phone use can overload local call networks, hindering emergency responders’ communications. Additionally, cell phone use encourages parents to rush to the school, potentially creating traffic congestion and interfering with evacuation or emergency response. Mass notifications will be sent to parents and guardians during and after incidents.
• Distraction from safety protocols: Our teachers are well-trained in emergency protocols, and if students are focusing on their phones during an emergency, they may fail to follow important safety instructions from teachers and first responders.
• Revealing locations to potential threats: In situations like an active shooter scenario, call phone activity (ringing, vibrating, screen lights) could reveal hidden locations to a perpetrator.
• Spread of misinformation: Panicked students may unintentionally send inaccurate information, which could then be shared with first responders, potentially hindering emergency responses.

Students may use their devices before and after school. However, once students enter the building at the beginning of each school day, they must turn off their devices and store them in their assigned NuKase. The purpose of this is to create an educational environment free of technological distractions. If the student is involved in extracurricular activities before or after the school day, it will be at the coach/advisor's discretion on the use of cell phones.

Staff members will model expectations during school hours; however, if their personal communication device is needed as an academic or school-related communication tool, staff retain the ability to use the technology during school hours.

Please refer to the disciplinary chart.