So I get home from work today and Patrick (our 17yr. old,) said that his cell phone had been confiscated during German class for texting. We went to the school, and talked to the Vice Principal. Patrick asked for his phone back, and was told that the new school rule is that the kids cannot have their cell phones back for 24 hrs. Since today is Friday, he will not be able to get his phone back til Monday-fine w/ me. He will also have to serve one day in-school-suspension for a first offense. If he gets caught w/ his phone again, it will be a mandatory 3 days out of school suspension. While I do think the punishment for a first time offender is a bit extreme, rules are rules. We got a letter in the mail this past summer which totally informed us of the rules. We went over this w/the kids. There are posters all throughout the school. He broke the rules and will be punished as per school board regulations. Anyway, no sympathy for Patrick please, just want to know about cell phone rules in other school districts.

No sympathy from me! The punishment for the first offense does seem harsh, it sounds like the rules and their punishments were pretty clear. Wish that was the rule in more schools My niece is going through problems with a teacher who grades on a curve but several people in the class use cell phones to text for answers.

(by the way..I really like you, I respect you, but I wiill NOT smell your feet, sorry)

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Nutella,....
proving some of the best things in life come in a jar.

The cell phone policy at my kids' schools, is the phone must be turned off and out of sight during the school day. If they get caught the first and second time it gets confiscated until the next school day and must be picked up by a parent and the child has to pay a fine. The third time it gets taken away for the whole semester and they pay another fine to get it back. This is a new stricter policy this year.

Our school rules are no cell phone use during school hours, cell phones must be kept in your locker or car turned off. They may be used after school if you need to call parents for a ride from extracurricular activites, etc. If you get caught then your cell phone is confiscated. I am not sure if there is further punishment, so far the rule has not been broken. (I should add no one has been caught)

Alot of kids text answers in class and cheat. The punishment does not seem severe to me.

I got my son his first cell phone when he went to high school. We had a school shooting the year before and some parents didn't know for hours and hours if their child was safe. The kids with cell phones were able to call their parents right away. I think for that reason the cell phone should be kept in the backpack turned off where the child can get to it.

Same as others... cell phones are confiscated and parents must pick up.

Also same for Ipods -- my son tells me that kids can cheat with an Ipod. I asked him how they hide the headphones and he said 'under their long hair'.

Some have complained about dress codes in the past but in defense of the schools, there are usually very valid reasons for many of the rules that they have to make.

The school my daughter goes to here in Alaska is pretty lax with cell phones. They are allowed to use them inbetween classes, lunch breaks, etc....but during class the phone must be on vibrate or the ringer turned off.

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"Why must you speak, when you have nothing to say." Horatio Hornblower

That makes sense to me, but I didn't make the school rules. My middle DD (graduated 4 years ago) used to keep hers in her purse turned off then would go out to her car at lunch and call if I had left a message or go into the bathroom stall to check messages, LOL. Just because there are rules doesn't mean the kids will follow them and I didn't tell her she had to. She never got caught with the phone out in school she wouldn't risk getting her phone confiscated. My 11 year old won't even take hers to school unless she has a game or is going on a field trip after school hours, club meeting, etc. she's too afraid of getting it confiscated.

OK imagine 30 kids in the class with 30 phones beeping or vibrating...not good for a teacher..

Let your kids learn this lesson... My DS, 17, was on probation for not listening to authority... Got caught with a phone when he should not have been messing with the phone...
9 MONTHS in harsh lock up for probation violation...
think about that onE.
And to those who think that there DD or DS locked the phone up during school time or hours, think again... The worst offenders at our school all had parents come in and say "It was in her/his car at that time..."

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GO TONY!!!!!!!!!!! # 20!!!

I wanted to post that I salute you for NOT going to the school and whining about a policy they have in place to usurp their authority. You are reinforcing to your son that he must follow rules and he's learning a lot from this, I am sure.

But I bet you already knew this.

dl

My only issue is a matter of safety. They should be returned at the end of the day for the trip home, to work, etc. Then back to the office the next day. This is more trouble for the school, but it would be horrible if something happened to a student.

Yes, you are all right about safety, etc., but surely you all know how disruptive a cell phone can be, have you tried to watch a movie lately with all the cell phones going off? It is hardly a relaxing experience. I am a nurse, and people are BIZARRE how they think a ringing phone is more important than your child who is about to have surgery, etc. ........