Back to School: What parents, students should know about cellphone policies in the classroom

As students begin to head back to class, it’s important for parents and students to know when and if cell phones are allowed in the classroom.

News Center 7′s Kayla McDermott spoke with local districts about how they are trying to keep phones out of the classroom.

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“We want to make sure our students are being educated and not being distracted,” said Jenny Alexander, Communications Coordinator for Mad River Local Schools.

This is why some schools do not allow for students in elementary or middle school to have phones out – but high schoolers can.

“We rather try to keep with our instructional time and do as best we can to educate kids instead of trying to police a cell phone,” said Alexander.

Teachers can choose to allow phone use in their class or not, and junior at the University of Dayton, Jessica Phillabaum, agrees.

“I think that technology is something we need to incorporate into our school system,” said Phillabaum.

Having students turn devices off and lock them away for the school day is in the student handbook for some local districts.

Phillabaum said for schools with those policies, students should be able to call who they need to in an emergency.

At Mad River Highschool, Alexander says she thinks parents do appreciate the fact that they’re able to get a hold of their student if something were to happen.

Phones can be viewed as a good or a bad thing in schools, so its best to check with your child’s district and tell them to put it away unless their teacher says otherwise.