A Texas school district’s decision to fine students who use their cell phones in class this fall should curb a behavior that has frustrated school administrators as mobile devices become cheaper and more prevalent, a prominent campus security expert tells Campus Safety magazine.
It also may provide additional resources during the current economic downturn, according to Mike Dorn, executive director of Safe Havens International, an international nonprofit school safety center.
“If it’s consistently enforced, inappropriate cell phone use will be far lower in that district,” Dorn says. “It will have an impact. It worked in our district.”
Earlier this month, the Abilene Independent School District (ISD) announced it would fine students $15 for using mobile devices in class.
As the police chief for the Bibb County (Ga.) Public School in the 1990s, Dorn implemented a “service/recovery” fee because his department could not legally fine cell phone use. Cell phones were confiscated from students who used them in class. Parents could recover the phones after paying a $25 “service/recovery” fee and providing proof of ownership of the device.
Many school officials have voiced concerns that cell phone use can encourage inappropriate behavior, such as cyber bullying and cheating on tests.
Other districts have begun implementing similar policies to reduce classroom disruptions and other inappropriate cell phone use. In October, the Houston (Miss.) School District began prohibiting cell phones on campus during school hours. The district confiscates the phones, sends a note home to parents and charges a $25 fee to return the device.
In one instance, the revenue generated from such a policy has been substantial. The Klein ISD, also in Texas, has netted $100,948 in the two years since putting it in place.
These types of fees may be controversial and usually need to be approved by the administration and school board before being implemented.
