Ohio County Schools Take Steps to Limit Cell Phone Use in Classrooms | News, Sports, Jobs

Photo by Joselyn King Kim Miller, Ohio County Schools Superintendent, holds up a cell phone case made by the YONDR company. The school district plans to purchase 30 bags to hold the phones of those who do not comply with the new “phone-free classroom” policy at Wheeling Park High School.

WHEELING – Ohio County Schools is aiming to create “phone-free classrooms” at Wheeling Park High School by instituting a policy that allows students to keep their cell phones with them all day, as well as restricting their use during class prohibit.

Those who violate the policy would be sentenced to “cell phone jail,” WPHS Principal Meredith Dailer explained. This would involve placing the student’s phone in a magnetized bag until the end of the day, at which point they can go to a designated location to retrieve their phone.

A group of teachers, parents and staff who met Thursday at the Innovative Learning Center at WPHS were given a printed copy of the proposed cell phone policy. They were told to read it, bookmark it for suggestions and bring it with them when they return for a meeting in July.

The meeting ended with Superintendent Kim Miller agreeing to order 30 of the magnetized cell phone cases from the company YONDR, and Dailer announcing that she would also order special mobile calculator cases that cover a cell phone and allow it to be used only for math calculations.

Dailer explained that the school currently gives each teacher the ability to determine the cell phone policy for their own classroom.

“We have layered discipline to manage students who repeatedly offend,” she said. “But overall, the feedback I’ve gotten from the teachers who don’t have phones and are super consistent with them, it’s not a problem.

“However, those teachers who would like to be mobile-free and are still struggling say that a consistent school-wide policy on this would be valuable.”

The cellphone policy under consideration was drafted by Ohio County Board of Education member David Croft, who is also an attorney. In addition to smartphones, the proposed policy would ban the use of smartwatches, earbuds, airpods and headphones during class.

It would allow students to use their personal cell phones for school, during class changes, and lunch. All other times would be considered class time during which all cell phone use would be prohibited.

Students placed their cell phones in a numbered box and retrieved them at the end of class.

The use of mobile phones may be permitted for instructional purposes, with the teacher’s permission. Students may also request permission from the teacher to use their mobile phone in case of emergency.

A student who violates the policy for the first time will have their cell phone confiscated by the teacher and returned at the end of the school day. A warning will be issued. The second time a student uses their cell phone in class, it will be confiscated and returned only to a parent or guardian. The student will be placed in detention.

For a third violation, the student will be referred to administration for further disciplinary action. Students who refuse to surrender a cell phone will also be subject to the consequences of insubordination.

If a student whose cell phone has been confiscated brings a second cell phone during the confiscation, this is also considered insubordination, according to the policy.

Students are responsible for ensuring that their cell phones are on silent during class and are properly stored in the designated area.

Most attendees – all adults – had their own cell phones at hand and were visibly present at Thursday’s meeting. It was agreed that one of the biggest challenges of the policy will be that adults in schools need to be aware of their own mobile phone use in the presence of pupils.

Dailer noted that Brooke County does not allow cell phone use in the classroom and that John Marshall High School’s policy is identical to the current policy in Ohio County, which allows teachers to set their policies. Parkersburg High School uses cell phone caddies and Oak Hill High School in Fayette County bans them only during teacher instruction, she reported.

Miller said she has had conversations with state Superintendent Michele Blatt about student cell phone use, and that “a statewide policy is underway.”

“I think we want to be in charge of what we do before someone else tells you what to do,” she continued. “We want to make sure that our teachers get the respect that they deserve,

“We also want to teach our students a little bit of self-discipline, that they can put their phone away for 50 minutes and the world won’t end,” Miller added.

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