Superintendent Clarifies Cellphone Rules After Reported Suspension

By John Voket

School Superintendent Janet Robinson said she cannot discuss specific disciplinary actions against students, but responded to questions following a concerned parent’s call to The Newtown Bee after a bomb scare at the high school last week. While not identifying the student, or confirming the parent’s report that her daughter, a NHS junior, was suspended for three days, Dr Robinson took the opportunity to clarify the district’s policy on cellphone use, especially during possible emergencies.

According to the caller, Christy Sanford, she received a cellphone call from her daughter the morning of May 8, saying the school was being evacuated because of a bomb scare.

“She’s been in the Newtown school system since sixth grade, but she’s never been involved in a bomb scare before,” Ms Sanford said, adding that her daughter seemed concerned. Saying she was just about a mile away in Sandy Hook Center, Ms Sanford said she asked if her daughter wanted her to come and pick her up.

“She asked me to come and get her,” Ms Sanford said. Upon arrival at the school, Ms Sanford said she called her daughter back several times in an attempt to try and locate the student, but every time she got through on the cellphone, her daughter either hung up or said she could not talk.

When she finally located her daughter, Ms Sanford said she was surrounded by school staff members, including Assistant Superintendent Lynda Gaejda. After speaking with Dr Gaejda for some time, the students were directed to return to the building.

Shortly thereafter, Ms Sanford said she received a call from Candace Dietter at the high school, saying her daughter was being suspended for three days. When she pressed Ms Dietter for a reason, Ms Sanford said she was told her daughter “put the entire school in jeopardy” by using her cellphone during the bomb scare.

Ms Sanford said she did not understand why using a cellphone subjected her daughter to suspension, after reviewing the student manual, which states: “Cellphones are to be turned off when students enter the building. Cellular telephones are not to be used in the building during school hours unless approved by an administrator pending special circumstances.

“Cellphones will be confiscated when they interfere or disrupt the educational process, represent a neglect for corridor behavior, and/or pose a breach of appropriate behavior in accord with school policies. NHS recognizes that cellphones may be valuable for family emergencies, but they must be turned off during school hours.

“In the event of an emergency or pressing urgency, students are asked to use the phone in the main office or ask an administrator for permission to use their personal cellphone in the main office. PDAs, MP3 and disc players may only be used in the cafeteria, senior courtyard, or before or after school hours. Headphones are to be stored away.”

The superintendent said in general, a student would never face suspension for making a cellphone call.

“The only reason a student would ever face [suspension] would be if they were reminded to turn off their cellphone and they refused to do so,” Dr Robinson said.

In regard to the use of cellphones and other communications equipment during events like the bomb scare, both Dr Robinson and Dr Gaejda said they did not want students to communicate “misinformation out to the community.”

“In the event of an actual emergency, it’s our priority to get first responders to the scene as quickly as possible,” the superintendent said. “If calls or messages are being made and parents start arriving on the scene at the same time, it could cause interference with emergency personnel.”

Dr Robinson said most school districts’ policies on the matter are similar.

“Cellphones in most districts are not seen or heard during the school day,” she said. “It’s certainly OK to keep them in your bag or backpack, but they need to be silent.”

When asked why the parent was getting the call about her daughter’s suspension from Ms Dietter, who chairs the school’s Social Studies Department, the superintendent explained that the teacher is currently engaged in an internship to become an administrator, and that she has some shared responsibilities with staff administrators.

“Candy was assigned to contact the parent,” Dr Robinson said.