This year the school district implemented a new policy at Bell intermediate academy and John R Wooden middle school banning cell phones. Students can bring their phones to school but must put them in their lockers at the beginning of the day and are not allowed to retrieve them until after the day is over. The high schoolers are at least allowed to have their phones on them. Even the elementary schoolers can have their phones in their backpacks in the classroom. Do you agree with this?

I am extremely uncomfortable with this new policy. After the deadly mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas where students were able to update their parents, call 911, and give updates on the shooter’s location, why would we take that away? I know what you are thinking, it won’t happen in Martinsville. The thing is, it already has. In 2011 Chance Jackson was shot twice in the stomach by a fellow student at West middle school, now renamed John R Wooden middle school. According to Education Week (edweek.org) there have been 23 school shootings this year that resulted in injuries or death. One of those shootings was at Thomas Howe Carr high school in Indianapolis. 

I know that the school district or at least the teachers take the active shooter procedures seriously. My daughter started kindergarten this year. During open house I saw a poster on the wall telling the kids what to do if the “Big Bad Wolf” comes to school. This brought tears to my eyes. My 5-year-old is practicing how to hide and save her own life. This is the world we live in. When I was in school cell phones were not everywhere, they had just started to become somewhat common. We didn’t use them to get on social media or the internet. But times change. I understand the school’s opinion that they are a distraction, and I don’t disagree. However, my son’s safety and ability to contact me or authorities in case of an emergency is more important. Last year my son’s choir teacher had a policy that cell phones were put in a cubby at the beginning of class and retrieved after. This is acceptable. They are still accessible. 

On Monday August 14th my son received a cell phone violation. His father and I told him that he will always have his phone on him for safety reasons. He did not have it out and it was on silent. The Success teacher saw the outline of the phone in his pants and asked if it was a phone. My son did not lie, he told the truth and was sent to the principal’s office. Before relinquishing his phone, he demanded that the principal call me, as he was instructed by his father and me. While speaking with the principal I was told that the school board considered the active shooter threat and that it wasn’t important enough to outweigh the benefits of not having the phones. Why not just follow what his choir teacher did last year? He also told me that there is an app that the teachers have that they are GOING to be trained on. At that time school had been in session for three days. Why are they not trained yet. And what happens if something happens to the teacher? Is there a backup? One thing I have learned throughout my life in both a personal and professional setting is that you should always have a backup, you never know what could happen. School shootings are often perpetrated by a current student. A student that knows the active shooter procedures, a student that has been through the drills, a student that knows to target the teacher first because there is no backup to report a problem. The best or should I say the worst part of this. On August 14th Indian creek school district sent out a mass message to parents that there had been a threat that a student was going to bring a gun to school. They did an investigation, and everything was fine. But it still hits a little too close to home. 

At this time, I beg the school district to reconsider this policy, Children’s lives are more important than anything else. Being able to get updates and know what is going on in an emergency situation is more important. Cell phones give parents peace of mind and the children the ability to contact not only parents and authorities but to anonymously report suspicious behavior. I will not force my child to follow this policy.

https://www.wbtv.com/story/37520446/cell-phone-videos-and-photos-capture-fl-school-shooting-through-eyes-of-witnesses/