TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A new cell phone policy could be coming to Leon County Schools after they meet next week, according to an LCS agenda item.
The policy is not limited to cell phones as it now includes smartwatches as a “wireless communication device.” Other new additions to the cell phone policy include elementary school students, who would be restricted from using cell phones on campus during the school day under the new policy.
LCS’s new policy also states that elementary and middle school students must have their cell phones powered off and “stored out of sight,” on campus, during after-school activities and during school-related functions.
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Middle school students are also not allowed to use cell phones during the school day, nor are they permitted to use them 45 minutes before the first bell rings, per the cell phone policy.
High school students may not use a WCD during instructional time and are prohibited from accessing social media platforms through the use of Internet access provided by the District, except when expressly directed by a teacher solely for educational purposes. Teachers shall designate an area for WCDs to be stored during instructional time.
There are some exceptions to these restrictions, per the policy, as students can use their phones while traveling to school in school-approved vehicles, and during school activities, but “at the discretion of the bus driver, classroom teacher, school administrator, or sponsor/advisor/coach.”
The policy says students can also use their phones in specific areas in the school that are “designated by the school administrator.”
“A student may use a WCD during the school day in accordance with the student’s individualized education plan (IEP), the student’s 504 accommodation plan, or a doctor’s note from a physician licensed under F.S. Chapter 458 or 459 certifying in writing that the student requires the use of a WCD based on valid clinical reasoning or evidence,” per the LCS policy.
The Leon County School Board is expected to vote on this policy on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at Aquilina C. Howell Instructional Services Center.
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