Area school districts are charging fees for cellphone confiscations

SUGAR LAND, Texas — This year many school districts in Texas have adopted some sort of cellphone policy that involves taking the phone away if rules aren’t followed. Sometimes, it’s after a second or third violation. It might just be right away, and parents will have to shell out money to get it back. “I don’t like the policy, but I think it’s reasonable,” says Sugar Land resident Britton Bielitz. She’ll be a high school sophomore in Lamar Consolidated ISD, and says it’s easy to get distracted by her smart phone. “It was more strict in middle school,” she says. “We weren’t allowed to use our phones in class and if we pulled it out, then there’s a $15 fine and they take your phone. Your parents have to pay it,” Bielitz adds. Many local school districts, this year, have similar policies in place. They’re charging a $10-$15 fee, in order for the student to get his/her phone back, after it’s been confiscated. “I think it’s fair because the parents are more responsible. They have more control. They can say, you know what, I’m not getting the phone back from you,” says parent Priya Sunsaresen. Officials say the policy is to deal with the growing problem of students getting distracted by their devices. They say often a student will start out doing research on their phone, which might be allowed, but then gets sidelined by a text, or Twitter. “They’re not there to play on their phones. I know how distracting they are,” says mom Keri Bielitz.

Comments

comments

Posted by Deb on Aug 24 2018. Filed under State news. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.