About 15 La Salle-Peru High School community members gathered Wednesday to discuss the implementation of a new cellphone policy for the school.

Superintendent Steven Wrobleski, who hosted, was joined by acting Principal Chris Gibson, Associate Principal for School Safety Kate Lance and Director of Communications Matt Baker in Matthiessen Memorial Auditorium.

Wrobleski addressed concerns raised by attendees during the forum.

Sometimes it just becomes so difficult to be managing cellphones that teachers could spend a quarter of their class time dealing with that.”

—  Steven Wrobleski, La Salle-Peru High School superintendent

The board proposal was altered since the meeting notice last week based on comments from social media. The superintendent said the current policy was implemented “maybe 10-plus years ago” before cellphones became what they are today.

“We’ve seen increases in cheating, bullying, fights,” he said.

According to the current policy in the student handbook, 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.

Wrobleski said the school has reached a “tipping point” at which educators need to draw a line in the sand and protect the learning environment.

“Sometimes it just becomes so difficult to be managing cellphones that teachers could spend a quarter of their class time dealing with that,” he said.

“There are 10,080 minutes in a week,” Wrobleski said. “The proposal that we have drafted accounts for 1,750 minutes. That would be seven periods a day – 50 minutes.”

Wrobleski said the school is asking for 17.4% of the week for a smartphone-, smartwatch- or earbud-free zone to focus on the educational environment and reducing distractions. The other 82.6% is up to the parents or guardians.

Wrobleski reviewed the proposed policy, highlighting the “tweaks” made to the list of consequences previously reported.

“So, you may recall initially there were seven consequences,” he said. “Based on feedback, particularly from our board, as well as some comments on social media, we agreed that we needed to reduce that and narrow it down.”

The board narrowed the proposal from seven to five, and staff can take away the device for a semester at the most, not the entire school year.

Wrobleski said he wanted to be clear that neither he nor his staff would be intentionally looking for electronic devices. They are not searching kids when they come into the building.

Wrobleski addressed some of the concerns that he had seen online, such as getting a hold of a child in the event of a school shooting. He outlined the district’s various safety protocols such as phones in every classroom, a full-time school resource officer and controlled door access in and out of the building.

He also addressed parents’ concerns about their child’s anxiety. If they are unable to get a hold of parents throughout the day, Wrobleski said, students have access to their phones before/after school, during passing periods and lunch. Parents can call the main office number for a family emergency.

A parent reminded him that when you call the main office it’s an automated machine, and parents need to leave a message, so in the event of an emergency, this would be insufficient.

“That’s a very important point,” Wrobleski said. “We are going to put that down in the notes as we are looking at protocols that we need to make sure there is immediate access for family members who want to get through.”

A few members of the audience questioned whether teachers would be held to the same standard as the students. If students can’t be on their phones, neither should adults, some in attendance said.

“I said the only way for this to work is I can’t have you on your phones either,” he said. “In classrooms, or if your kids are taking a test, you cannot be doing what we are asking them not to do.”

Proposed electronic device policy

• Electronic devices will be allowed in the building. Students may use them before school, at passing periods and during lunch. They must be stored in their assigned school 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 cellphones, smartwatches, 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 that the student place the device in a plastic bag, which will be sealed and labeled.

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

• Device(s) are 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-day social probation.

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

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

NOTE: If the student reaches five violations in the first semester, he/she will get a fresh start at the start of the second semester. However, if the student violates the policy, they automatically go to the fifth violation.

The La Salle-Peru Township High School District 120 Board will vote to pass the policy during the next meeting at 6 p.m. May 15 in the Library/Media Center at LPHS, 541 Chartres St. in La Salle.

Pending approval, the policy will go into effect on the first day of the 2024-25 school year.