District 219 Policy Aims to Prepare ‘Digital Citizens’

Students at Niles North and Niles West high schools will be able to use cell phones and mobile Internet devices such as smart phones during school hours under a new policy approved by the Niles Township High School District 219 school board.

The policy was one of several voted on Monday night. It passed 6-1, with school board president Robert Silverman being the lone dissenter. The new rules also apply to student-owned laptops and governs how the computers can be connected to the Internet while on school grounds.

While students supported the changes before the vote, some teachers had expressed reservations about access to the devices during school hours, said board member Eileen Valfers, who was reviewing the minutes of the district’s Education Policy Advisory Council, which includes parents, students, teachers and administrators.

“Teachers are concerned about cyberbullying and academic dishonesty,” Valfers said. Teachers also worried that students would engage less in face-to-face communication, she said.

Students, on the other hand, noted that the new policy would make them more available to their parents, Valfers said.

The former policy allowed students to have cell phones on campus but prohibited their use during school hours.

Board member Ruth Klint said that it is important for students to learn how to function in a digital world where cell phones and other similar devices are omnipresent.

“Part of our job is to prepare our students for modern life,” Klint said. “With all the things that are on these, they really are a tool of everyday life.”

“We have to teach our students to be digital citizens, because that is the reality of their lives,” agreed board colleague Sheri Doniger, who is also policy committee chairwoman.

She said part of the learning process is to know when it is not appropriate to use such devices, such as texting during meetings.

Under the policy, the electronic devices must be used for educational purposed only and the explicit permission of the teacher is required if they are used during class time. Phones must be kept on silent mode so as not to cause disruptions.

Violators will have their devices confiscated until the end of the school day. A second offense will require a parent to come to the school to pick up the seized electronics.

“The use of cell phones and mobile Internet devices really is a privilege,” Doniger said. “It comes with one big caveat: The use of these laptops and mobile Internet devices and cellular phones will be at the discretion of the teacher.”

The district plans a review of the policy changes early in the 2011-12 school year.