La Salle-Peru High School will host a community forum on Wednesday, May 8, to consider implementing tougher restrictions on cellphones for students during the 2024-25 school year.

The forum will be 6:30 p.m. at the Matthiessen Memorial Auditorium at L-P High School, 541 Chartres St., to provide parents, students and community members the opportunity to hear more about the proposal and ask questions.

The current policy, according to the student handbook, says all cellphones should be turned off and put away before the first class. Teachers can use discretion and allow students to use them for educational purposes. Phones are allowed during passing periods and during lunch times in the cafeteria.

“Our primary focus is to help explain why we are recommending a change,” Superintendent Steven Wrobleski said in a news release Thursday.

The cellphone proposal then will be presented at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, during the Board of Education meeting in the library.

Wrobleski said in a news release, teachers are battling daily the constant bombardment of student phone alerts going off in their classrooms, coupled with the addictive nature of the devices and students’ general inability to ignore them.

“One of our teachers had his class of 24 students track the number of alerts going off on their phones in his classroom. In 30 minutes, our teacher documented 235 alerts – 24 text messages, 1 phone call, 46 notifications and 164 Snapchats,” he said.

Add to this the issue of students teasing, making fun of, or bullying other students on phones, Wrobleski said in a news release.

“While we rely on our student’s parents/guardians to make the best decisions for their families regarding internet access at home,” he said. “We feel a more restrictive electronic device policy is necessary to best serve our students’ educational needs during the school day.”

Wrobleski said a group of L-P faculty, administrators and staff worked diligently this semester to craft a revised electronic device policy. Students will still have access to their school-issued Chromebooks and other school-provided technology in classes.

The proposed electronic device policy sent in Thursday’s news release is below.

Proposed electronic device policy

• Electronic devices will be allowed in the building. Students may use them before school, passing periods and lunch. They must be stored in their assigned school lockers (excluding PE lockers) at all other times.

• Electronic devices are prohibited in classrooms unless their use is provided in a student’s IEP and/or 504 plan and is allowed during band while Marching Band is in season.

Definition of electronic devices: Any personal electronic device capable of accessing the internet, taking pictures/videos, playing music, gaming and/or communicating. Examples include but are not limited to cell phones, smart watches, earphones/buds, gaming devices, etc.

Confiscation procedures

• If a student has an unauthorized electronic device in the classroom or other unauthorized areas, the teacher/staff will request the student place the device in a plastic bag, which will be sealed and labeled.

• Student signs and dates the bag. Teachers/staff store the confiscated device(s) in a secure, visible location in the room.

• Device(s) delivered to the school safety office by the teacher or security team member at the end of class.

NOTE: If the student refuses to turn over his/her device, they will be disciplined for gross insubordination and immediately removed from the classroom and sent to the school safety office.

Consequences

First violation: Device confiscation – student collects device from school safety office at the end of the school day.

Second violation: Device confiscation – Parent/guardian must collect the device from the school safety office at the end of the school day.

Third violation: Device confiscation – Parent/guardian collects device, one-day out-of-school suspension, 15-days social probation.

Fourth violation: Device confiscation – Parent/guardian collects device, two-day OSS, 30-days social probation.

Fifth violation: Device confiscation – Parent/guardian collects device, three-day OSS, 30-days social probation, the student turns the device into the school safety office for 10 days and collects device at the end of the school day.

Sixth violation: Device confiscation – Parent/guardian collects device, three-day OSS, 30-days social probation, the student turns the device into the school safety office for 45 days and collects device at the end of the school day.

Seventh violation: Device confiscation – Parent/guardian collects device, three-day OSS, 30-days social probation, the student turns the device into the school safety office daily for the remainder of the school year and collects device at the end of the school day.

For those with questions, contact Superintendent Steven Wrobleski at 815-223-2373 or swrobleski@lphs.net.