CHARLESTON, Mo. – A high school in Southeast Missouri on Monday introduced a ban on cellphones and smartwatches on campus.
Jamarcus Williams, principal at Charleston High School, posted a letter to parents and guardians on the district Facebook page the day prior. In it, Williams said students are being asked to not bring their phones to school or check their devices in with the administrative office. The student can pick their phone up at the end of each school day.
If a student opts out of either option and brings their phone to campus, it must be kept out of sight for the whole school day. School employees will confiscate students’ phones if they’re seen and the parent or guardian will be required to pick the device up.
Williams said if students or parents need to get in touch with one another, they can contact the administrative office.
The principal said the policy is a result of ongoing problems, such as students taking videos and photos of each other and posting them to social media, using phones in bathrooms and locker rooms, sending random or inappropriate photos during lunch to others, using the devices to cheat on tests and other assignments, and the phones being a tool for instigating conflicts.
