Local school districts did not have to tweak much of their classroom cellphone use policies when new state law went into effect in July.
Earlier this year, the Indiana legislature passed a law requiring school districts to adopt policies to prohibit cellphones and other electronic devices in the classroom. Most schools in Johnson County already had policies in place and have been working to find other ways to curb cellphone use in the classroom.
Senate Enrolled Act 185 requires schools to adopt and implement a wireless communication device policy and publish the policy on the school’s website. It also requires districts’ policies to ban the use of devices during instructional time. However, the law does give exceptions if a teacher allows them for educational purposes, to manage a student’s health care needs, in the event of an emergency or if the device is included in the student’s Individualized Education Program or 504 plan.
Each policy varies by school, but all cover the same ground.
Generally, students are allowed to use cellphones before and after school, but not during class. There are exceptions to this, including if a student gets permission from a principal or teacher. Some reasons for exceptions include emergency situations, to manage the student’s health or to manage the student’s IEP.
Different districts mention other times when a phone can be used during the school day, including during lunch and between classes, but others state that cellphones should be off for the entirety of the school day. Policies that allow phones during some periods of the school day note that the phones should not cause a distraction and should not interrupt school functions.
At every school, students are prohibited from recording or transmitting the words or images of students, staff members or other persons at schools. All schools have disciplinary actions in place if the policy is violated, including confiscation of personal communication devices. A personal communication device may include computers, tablets, electronic readers, cell phones, pagers and other web-enabled devices of any type.
All local schools have policies that do not allow devices to be used at any time in any school situation where a reasonable expectation of personal privacy exists including in places such as locker rooms, bathrooms and any other area where students or others may change clothes.
Policies also state that students are prohibited from accessing websites blocked by the school on their cellphones or computers while on school property or while at a school function.
