Middletown Board Of Ed. Introduces Cell Phone Ban In Schools
MIDDLETOWN, NJ — At their meeting Wednesday night, the Middletown Board of Education plans to introduce a policy that requires students to turn off cell phones during the school day.
It’s called the “Away for the Day” policy, and the public can read it here: https://go.boarddocs.com/nj/mi…
(Click Workshop/Voting Meeting Wednesday, June 26, 2024, then click “View the Agenda,” then on the left side, scroll down to “10. Board of Education – Consent Agenda, B. Policy”)
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At the elementary and middle school level, students will have to keep their cell phones or mobile devices in their backpacks or lockers. The phone cannot be in a student’s pockets during the school day. Also, all cell phones have to be turned off when students enter the elementary or middle school.
If a student needs to talk to their parent or guardian, they need to go to the front office and get permission to get their cell phone out of their locker.
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At the high school level, students can keep their phones on their person, but the phone have to be turned off during school hours. Also, teenagers will not be allowed to access social media during school hours.
The policy gives Middletown teachers and school administrators the right to confiscate a student’s cell phone for violations.
Also — and this is important — if a cell phone is being used to bully or harass another student, even if the phone is being used off campus, the student will lose their cell phone privilege for 5 days.
This is most likely an attempt by the Middletown school district to confront online bullying. A 14-year-old Middletown girl took her own life two years ago, and her parents say she was being bullied online by other teen girls at Middletown High School North. Her family sued the Middletown school district in May. That story: Parents Of Bullied Girl Who Died By Suicide Sue Middletown District
The policy is expected to pass upon its first introduction Wednesday night.
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