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District

Personal Electronic Device Policy

Board Approved Student Handbook Policy

Objective 

The USD383 and Manhattan Personal Electronic Device Policy and related procedures aim to create a conducive learning environment, promote student safety, minimize distractions, and foster responsible use of technology. 

Full cooperation from our parents and guardians will be critical to the success of the new MHS Personal Electronic Device Policy.The policy does not change from class to class. All students are expected to follow this district-level approved Personal Electronic Device Policy to limit distractions during class time, therefore improving student achievement. 

We fully understand that this new policy will challenge not only our young people but also many adults who care about them.Together, we can prioritize their education in our modern tech-challenged, social media-driven culture.They are worth it.

 

Personal Electronic Device Policy 

To increase student engagement, decrease loss of instructional time, teach self-regulation and professionalism regarding electronic device use, and support the mental well-being of our students, MHS has implemented a zero-tolerance personal electronic devices practice during instructional time.   

Instructional time is defined as the start and end times of all class periods (to include study hall), Advisory, and Flextime. Students may appropriately use their personal electronic device(s) before and after school, passing periods, and lunch. 

Personal electronic devices include cell phones, tablets, laptops, portable gaming consoles, digital cameras and wearable devices, to include smartwatches, earbuds/headphones, and smart glasses. These devices must be placed in the classroom carrier at the beginning of each class period, Advisory, and Flextime. 

If a student must briefly leave the classroom (e.g., to use the restroom), their personal electronic device(s) will remain in the carrier and will not leave the classroom. 

All emergency calls or messages that need to be shared with the student may be made by calling the school. 

Personal electronic devices are prohibited at all times in bathrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms. These devices are capable of recording audio, video, or still images. In addition to the administration's disciplinary action, violators of this provision may be referred to law enforcement authorities. 

Responsibility for Personal Property 

Students, parents, and guardians are advised that Manhattan High School and USD 383 assumes no responsibility in any circumstances for the loss, destruction, or theft of any Personal Electronic Devices brought to school or any extracurricular or after-school activity. 

Consequences 

Use and/or possession of personal electronic devices during instructional time will result in appropriate and fair consequences. The student consequence progression continuum will be as follows. 

  • Offenses are cumulative (e.g., a student commits a cell phone violation in 1st period, and has a second violation in 6th period, they would be at the second offense listed below).
  • At the beginning of each semester all students prior offenses will be cleared and any future offenses will begin on the 1st offense of the continuum.  
First Offense 
  • Upon the 1st Infraction:
    • The student will immediately put their cell phone and accessories into the carrier for the rest of the class period.
    • The teacher warns the student and notifies the parent(s) through ParentSquare.
    • The incident is documented in a shared file, so MHS licensed faculty know where the student is on the continuum. 
Second Offense 
  • Upon the 2nd Infraction:
    • The student will immediately place their personal electronic device(s) in the school provided Safe Pouch and places the Safe Pouch in their backpack.
      • At the end of the school day, the student goes to their grade level office to unlock and return the Safe Pouch.
      • Students will be financially responsible for lost or damaged Safe Pouches (est. $20).
    • The teacher documents the incident in the shared file.
    • The student meets with their grade level principal and receives:
      • A lunch detention & 
      • A five-school day personal electronic device ban.
        • If the student brings a personal electronic device to school during this period, even if it is before/after school, passing period, or lunch, they will automatically move to the 3rd offense in the continuum.
        • During the ban, the student is advised to leave all personal devices at home.
        • If they choose to bring their personal electronic device to school, they must drop it off in their grade level office at the beginning of each school day. 
Third Offense 
  • Upon the 3rd Infraction:
    • The student will immediately place their personal electronic device(s) in the school provided Safe Pouch and places the Safe Pouch in their backpack.
      • At the end of the school day, the student goes to their grade level office to unlock and return the Safe Pouch.
      • Students will be financially responsible for lost or damaged Safe Pouches (est. $20).
    • The teacher documents the incident in the shared file.
    • The student meets with their grade level principal and receives: 
      • Five days of lunch detention & 
      • A five-school day personal electronic device ban.
        • If the student brings a personal electronic device to school during this period, even if it is before/after school, passing period, or lunch, they will automatically move to the 4th offense in the continuum.
        • During the ban, the student is advised to leave all personal devices at home.
        • If they choose to bring their personal electronic device to school, they must drop it off in their grade level office at the beginning of each school day.
Fourth Offense 
  • Upon the 4th Infraction:
    • The student will immediately place their personal electronic device(s) in the school provided Safe Pouch and places the Safe Pouch in their backpack. 
      • At the end of the school day, the student goes to their grade level office to unlock and return the Safe Pouch.
      • Students will be financially responsible for lost or damaged Safe Pouches (est. $20).
    • The teacher documents the incident in the shared file.
    • The student meets with their grade level principal and receives:
      • One-day AES (Alternative Educational Environment) & 
      • A semester-long personal electronic ban is imposed (until the end of the current semester)
        • During the ban, the student is advised to leave all personal devices at home.
        • If they choose to bring their personal electronic device to school, they must drop it off in their grade level office at the beginning of each school day.
        • If the student brings a personal electronic device to school during this period, even if it is before/after school, passing period, or lunch, see Subsequent Offenses. 
Subsequent Offenses  

Subsequent offenses will involve a student, parent, and Grade Level Principal meeting, and additional days of AES.   

Insubordination 

Refusal to comply with teacher directions regarding this policy would be considered insubordination. Insubordination could result in suspension.  

  • Yes, immediately.

  • Before and after school, passing periods, and lunch. 

  • Your student will not physically have their cell phone during instructional time, which includes Advisory and Flextime. Students can respond to your contact during passing periods and lunch.

  • Parents and guardians can call the school at 785-587-2100, and immediate concerns can be addressed quickly. All our classrooms have wired phones, and the office can contact your student’s teacher in real time. We can also deliver messages to students as needed. 

  • If visible, it will result in the personal electronic devices discipline continuum. 

  • They will be given discipline according to the continuum. 

  • No. That would return to our prior “teacher discretion” cell phone policy. 

  • Yes. An appropriate professional in the building will communicate with the teacher concerning the very few students who will have this exception. 

  • No. Wireless earbuds that could be connected to a cell phone will not be allowed during instructional time. 

  • As with all the belongings that students may bring into a classroom (backpacks, purses, etc.), they are responsible for them. There is the expectation that the student will keep an eye out for the belongings they bring into a classroom, including periodic visual checks that their cell phone and accessories are still in the carrier throughout class time. The teacher is not responsible for their belongings outside the scope of proper supervision of their instructional area. 

  • No. FYI, students loitering in the restroom while on their cell phones is a daily challenge. The cell phone is to remain in the carrier. This expectation greatly reduces students “disappearing” into restrooms for 15 minutes.

  • The teacher will lock the door and protect all belongings in the classroom. 

  • The teacher will have a designated area where the carrier can be locked and protected for days in which students and/or teachers are moving from a classroom to a lab, or stage, etc.

  • As with all our school thefts, the appropriate administrator and SRO are notified immediately. 

  • Possibly. Remember, virtually all cell phones can be pinged now, and stealing one isn’t as easy than it used to be. This explains why there are so few cell phone thefts in our school. Students do not need their cell phones during instruction time to be successful students at MHS. The school provides all students with an iPad, which is an acceptable technological tool to be used in their classes. It is their choice to bring their cell phone and personal electronic device(s) to school, and if you don’t feel it is safe in a classroom carrier, please consider that they do not bring it to school. 

  • The student still violates the policy as written by not placing them in the carrier. However, no one will know if the student has their device if they never engage it during class time. 

  • No. The policy rule is that students place their personal electronic devices, to include all cell phones, into the carrier immediately upon entering the classroom. Failure to do so will result in discipline according to the continuum.

  • We believe the physical act of not having their cell phone during instructional time ensures they are not distracted by it.  

  • Students may respond to you before and after school, during passing periods, and lunch. Beyond that, they will be in class, focusing solely on the instruction and the classroom tasks. 

  • Again, please schedule a meeting with one of the MHS administrators. If they cannot answer your questions, they will direct you to the next appropriate point-of-contact. Please honor the Personal Electronic Device policy until you have spoken with the appropriate person. 

  • Please contact your student’s grade level principal, and we can arrange a pick-up for your student to turn over their electronic device to you. 

  • Their Grade Level Counselor and/or Social Worker. 

  • Yes. Teachers are sensitive to this student concern, and we are strategizing ideas for these potential short periods of time. For your information, please consider encouraging your students to place a book of their choice in their backpacks. 

  • We hope that all stakeholders (students, parents, family members, and staff) understand the value of eliminating the competing distractions that student cell phones and all personal electronic devices create in their classrooms. For those who repeatedly choose not to comply, we will use the personal electronic device discipline continuum, which can eventually lead to a complete loss of cell phone privileges on our campus, lunch detentions, AES, and suspensions. 

    We know many parents strongly desire to have direct communication and connection with their students at any time of the day. To make this new policy work, and improve your student’s achievement, we ask that you either respect the policy and wait for your student’s text during a passing period or lunch or contact the office for any immediate emergency. This has been successful in the past, as many of us remember this method of parent-student communication pre-cell phones.  

    We are implementing this personal electronic device policy for your student's betterment. While this policy won’t solve all the challenges of cell phone use, it will greatly limit classroom distractions, which we believe will improve your child’s school success and experience. 

    We are stronger as partners, and together we maximize your students’ educational experience at Manhattan High School.