This could happen to students caught using their phones in class

MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Cell phones must be turned off and put away during school hours in the state of Florida.

Now, the Martin County School District is considering tougher penalties for students who violate that law.

Cell phones at school may not be a problem unique to Martin County, but district leaders are tired of it. They said phones and other wireless devices can not only be a major distraction, but can also contribute to cyberbullying and other school-related issues.

“This board has been committed to protecting the learning environment for all students for some time and this is really another step in that process,” said Derek Lowe, public information and community relations coordinator for the Martin County School District.

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WPTV education reporter Stephanie Susskind asked Lowe how much of a problem cell phones are in the classroom.

“It’s a problem, and I don’t think it’s unique to us in Martin County,” he said. “I think a lot of people, when they hear about cell phones in the classroom, they think it’s just a distraction in the learning environment, and it is, but we also see cell phones as a big problem when it comes to bullying, cyberbullying, kids posting pictures of other students, which is just not acceptable here in Martin County.”

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According to school district documents, Martin County middle and high school students would have their phones confiscated if they were caught using them during school hours.

Parents should then pick up the phone at the end of the school day.

One idea that came out of a focus group on the topic would be to confiscate the phone for the remainder of the semester for a third offense.

“Repeated violations will result in progressive sanctions and more severe consequences,” the documents state.

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“I understand their reasoning, because phones are a distraction in school,” said Martin County High School graduate Austin Lott. “But I think it’s overblown.”

The Martin County School Board will meet Tuesday night to discuss how it will address technology violations and could vote to implement changes to the code of conduct.

The district expects its board attorney to weigh in on the cellphone penalty changes at Tuesday’s meeting. That meeting will begin at the end of a workshop that will start at 4 p.m.

John Steckstor, a New York school principal, is currently visiting Stuart. Susskind asked him about the cellphone problem Monday while exploring downtown Stuart with his family.

“It’s a beast,” he said. “Most of the problems were cell phones, whether it was academic, loss of concentration, drama, or security. It was a very big problem. I saw a lot of different approaches.”

He sees cell phones as one of the biggest challenges facing education today, with no simple answer.

“It’s such a big part of our lives right now, and I’ll be interested to see how it impacts education in the future,” Steckstor said.