COASTAL OBSERVER

The feedback Superintendent Bethany Giles has received from  students about the Georgetown County School District’s ban on cell phones has been positive.

“They’ve definitely shared that they’re on board,” she told the school board this week. “Some said – quite contrary to what popular opinion might be – they’re in support of it because they can see the interaction between their classmates and with themselves.”

Giles meets with students in an informal setting during weekly “free throw Fridays” events.

The school board adopted a “procedure” before the beginning of the school year after a proviso was included in the state budget banning students from having “personal electronic communication devices” during the school day. 

Districts that did not adopt and enforce a policy were at risk of losing state funding.

The board chose a procedure instead of a policy while waiting for the state Department of Education to release its model policy. 

Now that the state policy is in place, Lindsay Ann Thompson, the district’s attorney, “merged” the district procedure with the state policy and presented it to the school board as an information item this week. The board will vote on adopting it at a later meeting. 

Students are prohibited from using a “personal electronic communication device” during the school day, which is defined as between the tardy bell and the dismissal bell.

A “personal electronic communication device” is anything that provides access to the internet, wi-fi or telephone signals, or captures images or video. Devices include cell phones, smart watches, tablets and gaming equipment. Devices must be powered off and stored in lockers or backpacks, or someplace approved by the school administration or district.

The policy includes exceptions for students who need the device for “medically or educationally necessary purposes.” That requirement will have to be part of a student’s individualized education plan, medical plan or 504 plan, which is a blueprint for how the school will support a student with a disability. Students who are members of a volunteer firefighting organization are also exempt.

The policy also has a provision for the superintendent to give written permission for devices to be used in classrooms for a “standards-aligned educational objective that cannot be reasonably achieved using district-owned devices.” 

Electronic devices that are confiscated from a student will be kept for the remainder of the school day and students will be punished according to the district’s code of conduct, which has three levels of offenses. Punishments increase with each level.

Every level of punishment includes a call to the parent and documentation of the discipline issue. After the first offense the device will only be returned to a parent. Also after a first offense, parents of elementary and intermediate school students will be required to have a conference with an administrator.

Middle and high school students will face suspension after a third offense. 

A student who refuses to give up their phone as requested by a school employee faces discipline under the “refusal to obey” section of the code of conduct.

Giles told the board that some schools made “adjustments” since the beginning of the school year to make sure teachers weren’t focused on handling situations involving electronic devices.

“So that teachers can focus strictly on instruction and maintaining that learning environment,” she added. “We’ve made the adjustment quite well.”