We support Jefferson City Public Schools in developing a cellphone policy intended to prevent disruptions in classrooms.
On Sunday, we reported the results of a JCPS staff survey showing 95.1 percent of staff said allowing students to have cellphones in class is a disruption.
Those results are no surprise. We can't imagine classes not being disrupted when students are allowed to have their phones in class.
A similar percentage of staff - 91.5 percent - also said students do not need to use their cellphones for class.
Of the responses, 180 came from elementary schools, 150 from high schools, 136 from middle schools, 12 from Nichols Career Center and 75 from others.
The staff were divided evenly, however, on the issue of whether phones should be allowed during lunch or in the hallway during passing periods.
The public schools understand that students will bring their phones to school, but are looking to approve a policy that will require them to be stored in their lockers or backpacks.
Students in grades K-8 would not be able to use the devices any time during the school day. High school students, however, would be able to use them only in the cafeteria or hallways between classes.
Some board members said the district needs to be consistent with the policy and with the punishment.
"We anticipate at the beginning of next year, we will probably be dealing with a lot of discipline issues with cellphones. We anticipate that. But I also believe it's the right thing to do," JCPS Chief of Learning Brian Shindorf said.
We agree the policy will need to be consistent to gain the most compliance by the students and support from the parents.
Also, it is the right thing to do. Just as poorly behaved students have no right to remain in classrooms and drag down the vast majority of students who want to learn, students should not be allowed to distract the learning process with their electronic devices.
Right now, this is a big issue for not only our public school district, but schools across the country.
We support the district on this issue, and we hope students and parents do too. Such a policy is essential to keep classrooms focused on learning.
News Tribune