By Stefanie Jackson – The Accomack school board on Tuesday night unanimously approved changes to its cellphone policy, which were recommended by Della Jordan, Accomack schools coordinator of student services.
The updated cellphone policy allows for the establishment of “green zones” such as hallways and cafeterias, where student cellphone use is permitted, and “red zones,” including classrooms, where it is prohibited.
Jordan said the policy changes were recommended with the expectation that if students have more opportunities to use their phones – for example, to check text messages in between classes – they will be less tempted to use their phones during instructional time.
She noted the committee that worked on the policy wanted to find a way to decrease the number of violations and the frequency of teachers and school staff members confiscating highly valuable personal property.
School board member Jesse Speidel was concerned about teachers who, in accordance with the previous cellphone policy, were allowing students to use their phones in class in certain situations such as using the calculator to solve a math problem.
Jordan noted that the updated cellphone policy must be consistently enforced to be effective, and students do not need their phones to complete their class work, as they have access to other devices such as laptops.
