BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
Stanhope Elmore High School will have a new policy for the upcoming school year, and it will require cell phones for students to be put in a personal, locked storage container during instructional times.
According to Principal Ewell Fuller, “We want to make it clear, this is not a punishment. But we have had continuing issues with cell phones being a distraction during class.”
He continued, “We don’t have a lot of fights, or violence that requires disciplinary action fortunately,” Fuller continued. “But when we look back at the disciplinary problems we have had, the majority of them somehow tie back to a cell phone. So, this is something we came up with and we are using the Yondr Pouch beginning this year.”
Last year, Fuller and other administrators did a study of five classrooms in one building by making visits during class time. “We found 66 students on their phones while the teacher was instructing. It is a problem, and we knew we needed to come up with a solution. The students will still be able to use their phones during FLEX, which is 44 minutes of the day. Some folks are going to say, ‘Well, that is a teacher problem.’ But the reality is, our teachers have to pick their battles. Do they spend the entire class time watching for cell phone use, or do they teach? This is going to allow them to teach, without the distraction of cell phones or electronic personal devices.”
Fuller said this is being done with the full support of Supt. Richard Dennis and the Board of Education. Whether or not this program will be expanded to all Elmore County Public Schools is unknown at this time, but it is possible. “Mr. Dennis is very interested to see how this first test goes, and what kind of success we see,” Fuller said.
“We are one of the first schools of our size to do this in the entire southeast area,” Fuller said. “We put a lot of research into this, and we know there are going to be some challenges, and a lot to learn as we go through the process. Again, this is not a punishment. We just want to make the most of classroom time, and let the students learn they can survive without their phones during class time.”
Elmore County School Superintendent Richard Dennis adds, “Our administrators are looking for ways to offset the difficulty they are having with cell phones. It is really impacting instruction and we have to figure out ways to address that if we are going to be more successful in in the classroom with student achievement and instruction. In Elmore County we are going to address the situation.”
So, how will this work?
The board approved a new policy, which is explained below.
No Personal Electronic Devices visible at SEHS, except during FLEX, in the “Phone Zone” (Old Gym)
(Consequences for violation of the Personal Electronic Device Policy, (BB) Defiance of Authority as outlined in the policy.)
Each student will be assigned a locking Yondr Pouch at the beginning of the year, must bring this pouch to school each day, and will maintain possession of the pouch throughout the school day.
(Consequences for not bringing an assigned pouch to school (BZF Admin Cons) 1 day ISS, damaging an assigned pouch (Destruction of Property/Fee), or losing an assigned pouch (FEE) are outlined in the policy.)
Each entry point into the school will have a pouch checkpoint. As students pass through the checkpoint, they will place their devices into the pouch and snap the lock closed. The pouch will not be able to be opened without a special unlocking mechanism, thus securing the student’s phone for the school day.
Students maintain possession of their locked pouches during the school day eliminating the need for teachers or admin to confiscate or store devices.
During FLEX, unlocking devices will be placed in the “Phone Zone” (Old Gym) so students can access and utilize their devices during FLEX period. The phone zone will have a single entry and exit point manned by a staff member who will visually observe a student re-pouch their device before being allowed to exit the phone zone.
Unlocking mechanisms will be removed after FLEX; however, these devices will be replaced at the exit points at the end of the school day so students can unlock their pouches as they exit the campus. An unlocking mechanism will also be kept in the front office so that students requiring early dismissal and checkout can unlock their devices on their way out.
Why create an implement the SEHS Personal Electronic Device Policy?
When reviewing discipline referrals at the end of the 2021-22 school year, a large portion of our discipline at SEHS either directly involved the misuse of personal electronic devices, was indirectly caused by the misuse of personal electronic devices or was escalated due to the misuse of personal electronic devices.
Teachers identified personal electronic devices as the biggest distraction to learning in the classroom. The administration did a survey during pop-in classroom walkthroughs and found that in most classrooms, at least 1/3 (often more) of students were distracted by their personal electronic devices at some point during the class.
Over 98 percent of all bullying and cyberbullying incidents that occurred at SEHS directly involved the issue of personal electronic devices.
****This policy does not apply to school-issued PC/laptop computers or chrome books.
What happens if a student defies the Personal Electronic Device Policy?
Level 1: If a student is found to be in violation of the Cell Phone Policy, the student will be written up for (BB) Defiance of Authority. This carries a penalty of (3-days ISS/1st Offense) (3 days ECAP/2nd Offense), (5 days ECAP/3rd Offense), 10 days ECAP/4th Offense) and 15 days ECAP/5th Offense). The student’s device will be re-pouched in their assigned locking pouch. If their pouch has been disposed of or damaged by the student, their device will be placed in a sealed envelope and the student will be placed in In School Suspension until the pouch is produced or the $20 replacement fee is repaid or applied to their school fees.
Level 2: If the student refuses to surrender the device to the administrator for RE-POUCHING he/she will receive an additional write-up for (BZF) Administrator Designated Consequence of 15 Days in ECAP and be subject to further discipline up to and including loss of extracurricular activities (sports, prom, homecoming, etc…) The administrator will attempt to contact a parent/guardian, to convince the student to surrender the device for RE-POUCHING. The student will be placed in (In School Suspension) until a parent or guardian arrives to take possession of the device and remove it from school grounds.
Editor’s Note: We know there are going to be a lot of questions, and one in particular will be concerning school security, and how students can communicate if a serious issue arises.
From Coach Fuller – “Each classroom has a land line that is directly connected to the administration and 911 in the event of an emergency. We have fantastic support from the Millbrook Police Department and our School Resource officers.”
For more information on the Yondr Pouch, visit https://www.overyondr.com/howitworks
