Cell Phone and Smart Watch Policy

Cell Phone and Smart Watch Policy

We recognize that parents provide their children with cell phones for safety reasons. Therefore, we understand that students will bring their cell phones to school.  Students can call parents immediately upon arrival or at dismissal. Other than that, cell phones must remain turned off and stowed away during the school day including breakfast and lunch. 

Cell phones and smartwatches that are being used to make calls, text (parents or peers) or play games during the day will be confiscated and returned to students at the end of the day.  

Cell phones and smartwatches may be used as set forth below (consistent with Regulation A-413). During the school day and/or after school:  

  • may not be turned on or used during instructional time, except for instructional and educational purposes with the explicit approval of the teacher and/or teaching artist.

  • may not be turned on or used during lunch or recess. 

  • may not be turned on or used in the bathroom or locker room. 

  • may not be turned on or used during field trips, fire drills, or lockdown drills. 

  • may not be turned on or used during NYS exams. 

Students are not to call, text, or message their family members during the school day. If students need to reach a member of their family, they can use one of the phones in the main office.

You can help us enforce this policy by not texting your children and calling or answering their calls during the day. 

Students may not photograph or take videos of any staff members or other students in and outside of the building. 

In an effort to enforce this policy we will implement the following consequences:  

  • If a phone rings during class, the student will be reminded of the policy and instructed to turn off the phone.

  • Students seen using phones anywhere at school will have the phone taken for the remainder of the school day.  The teacher who takes the phone will turn it into the dean, assistant principal, or the main office.

  • Students with consistent cell phone usage during the school day will have to turn their phone into the office each morning and parents will be contacted.