This semester South reinforces certain policies to increase classroom involvement and maintain school safety.
Teachers are now more involved in disciplining students who violate the cell phone policy.
“We cannot force a student to turn in their device if they have not yet violated the policy, but you can certainly offer them the choice to turn it in to avoid the temptation,” Smith said in an email to teachers about the policy.
Some teachers fortify this rule by putting cell phone caddies on the doors of their classrooms, and some have come up with a solution by using a 3-strike rule if a phone is spotted. The three-strike rule refers to two warning and a final confiscation of cellular phones from one of the deans
Teachers say students can avoid any phone confiscation or altercation by keeping phones in bags until passing period or lunch.
“A question has come up regarding the use of “pouches” or other areas to “house” electronics in your classroom and I wanted to provide some clarification “Per handbook policy, we cannot mandate that a student turn in their phone at the beginning of the period, but you can confiscate it if the student is using the device in class,” said Smith in her email.
Smith wanted to relay deans are also tracking students with unexcused absences and are working together with staff to restrict students who have early release from leaving without checking in with the attendance office. Lunch Supervisors and Hall Monitors are also tracing students with no passes.