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Mobile phone policy at issue

The Pinellas School Board will study the policy on cell phones.

By THOMAS C. TOBIN
Published March 14, 2007

In 2005, Pinellas school officials cracked down on sloppy and inappropriate dress.

In 2006, they set their sights on bad behavior and making campuses more civil.

This may be the year of the cell phone.

Several members of the School Board on Tuesday said the district's policy restricting cell phone use on campuses may need to be strengthened or at least better enforced.

But let the record show that the discussion actually started Monday. That's when board member Janet Clark called her daughter, a Lakewood High School student, to remind her of a dentist appointment.

"I called to leave a message on her phone and I was appalled when she answered it," Clark told the board Tuesday. "And she was in class. It really brought it home to a personal level. And I know if my child's doing that, multiply it by how many others."

Superintendent Clayton Wilcox responded, saying the cell phone issue keeps coming up and the policy needs to be revisited. He said he would bring it up at his next meeting with principals and come back with some ideas at the board's April 10 meeting.

"I'm going to ask them: Is the current policy something they can enforce or should we change it?" Wilcox said in an interview.

Under the policy, electronic devices such as cell phones, cameras and music players are to be turned off and kept out of sight while on campus, unless an administrator says otherwise.

Other counties have similar policies, which are written around a state law that allows students to bring cell phones to school.

"That's a very real issue for us," Wilcox said. "A telephone isn't just a telephone anymore."

[Last modified March 14, 2007, 09:02:33]