Notes from MS/HS Principal Jeremy Prudden
At the beginning of the year, the faculty, students, and I had an assembly, and one of the important points of that assembly was the issue of cell phones. I basically told the students to police themselves (do not have them out in class, do not use them as an instrument of harassment, do not take pictures of others without their consent, etc.) or I would police them.
That time has come.
It is not one incident that sparked this decision. It is a series of issues (cyber harassment, disrespect when teachers ask students to put cell phones away, distractions, etc.) that have cleared this path.
Starting tomorrow, students will not be allowed to have their cell phones during the school day at Troy High School.
In the morning, students will drop their phones off in their designated home rooms. Each home room has a shoe holder with their name on a note card in a designated spot. The student will turn their phones off or on silent and place their phones in these designated spots.
Obviously, Work Experience students and grade school aides will be allowed to have their phones during these activities. Any time a student leaves the building for an extended period of time, I want them to have their phones in case of an emergency.
If a student needs to use the phone during the school day, he or she can come to the office.
If a student does not cooperate with this policy, the following consequences will occur:
1st Offense: 40-minute detention
2nd Offense: 1 day of ISS
3rd Offense: 3 days of ISS
Each additional offense will add two more days to the subsequent ISS consequence.
Why am I doing this? Multiple reasons:
The use of cell phones has become an issue as it pertains to disrespect, harassment, and bullying.
The distractions that cell phones offer students prevent optimum achievement in the classroom. Furthermore, phones avert student attention from the world around them, undercutting the ability to learn by observation. Innocuous conversations, during which ideas are formed and connections are made, are stymied by cell phone usage.
Our mission statement at Troy High School alludes to producing responsible, productive citizens. In what effective workplace are employees allowed to have their phones and take pictures of others without their consent or make others feel bad with Snapchat filters?
I am tired of students being made to feel less-than from certain actions taking place on cell phones. I don’t like it, and I will not tolerate it.
I truly believe this is a huge step in making things better for our kids at Troy High School. Short-term, they will not see the point, they will despise the policy, and they will despise me, but I’m thinking long-term. I believe by taking this privilege away, the students’ eyes will be opened to other privileges previously unknown, such as the privilege of eye-to-eye contact, of a clear mind in the classroom, and of the ability to step away from social media, if only for a few hours a day.
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you.
Jeremy Prudden
6-12 Principal