Cellphone & Electronic Devices Policy

Ben Imlay
Aug 13, 2024
3 min read

Cellphones and Personal Electronic Devices (i.e. headphones and smartwatches):

Cellphones and personal electronic devices are not permitted to be on any student for any reason in any location on school campus. If a student brings a phone with them to school, that phone must be stored in their assigned locker immediately, locked and remain in their locker at all times during the entirety of the school day - no exceptions.

If a student is found with a cell phone at any point during school hours, the following steps will take place:

The phone is confiscated and held in a secure location in the main office.
The phone will remain in the office until a parent/guardian picks up the phone.

Questions & Answers

#1 Is my child allowed to bring their phone to school?

No. Students may bring their cellphone on the bus TO school, and may have it out on the bus and anywhere that is not on school grounds. However, your child is not permitted to have their phone with them during the day.

This means that if your child brings their cellphone with them, they must be stored inside their locker and locked during the entire day - no exceptions.

#2 Can my child keep their phone in their pocket throughout the day?

No. If a student decides to bring their phone to school, their phone must remain off and stored away in their locker and locked at all times during the school day. Every student is assigned a locker and is provided a combination lock to use for free.

#3 How do I contact my child during the school day?

Parents/Guardians should call the main office number and ask to speak to their child. The safest and quickest way to contact your child is by calling the main office, NOT by calling/texting their cell phone. When your child is at school, student safety is our top priority. Following this procedure will ensure that we can monitor the safety of all of our students.

#4 Can my child leave use their cellphone if there is an emergency?

Absolutely Not. Here’s why: Monroe has emergency and safety protocols in place to handle emergencies and contact families. When students begin calling home, this can cause panic and can make the situation worse. Often times, students do not have all of the information, and calling home can cause panic, spread misinformation and can prevent law enforcement and trained officials to do their jobs effectively. Again, Monroe has emergency protocols in place, and we ask all of our families to help us keep all students safe by following these procedures.

#5 How does this policy benefit my child?

Monroe's Cellphone Policy is grounded in research, and focused on the following three areas of youth development and wellbeing:

Research overwhelmingly shows students who were allowed to have cell phones on them during class performed significantly worse on tests than students who were required to leave their mobile devices at home or in their locker. Beyond test performance, our school is responsible for protecting the safety and privacy of all students, and permitting cell phones allows for considerable risk in both of these areas. Thus, cellphones are not permitted to be on any student for any reason in class or in any location on school campus.