Cell phone policy understood at Oak Park High
By Michael Picarella
Acorn Staff Writer

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn IN STYLE-Oak Park High student Jenny Choi, 16, shows the cell phone she carries around with her.

State law says that no student may carry an electronic device, especially cell phones, while on public school campus and since Oak Park Unified School District (OPUSD) began to enforce this in June, classroom interruptions have decreased.

Previous to enforcement, according to Oak Park High School (OPHS) assistant principal Patricia Kokinos, OPHS had a trouble with students carrying cell phones, pagers, Walkmans and other similar devices. Ringing noises and other electronic disturbances interrupted the classroom activities repeatedly, according to district officials, and some teachers and parents became upset.

When the enforcement issue came up, some parents wanted their youngsters to have cell phones available in case of emergency. Therefore, while students couldn’t carry electronic devices, they were only temporarily confiscated when seen or heard on campus.

"We have told the kids," Kokinos said, "we will not be searching their backpacks for (electronic devices). However, if a cell phone goes off or a pager goes off during class, it will be confiscated and they will have to pay $5 at the student store in order to get it back."

Asked what happens after a second incident, Kokinos said it hasn’t been relevant to OPHS students. "The kids here," she said, " are very observant of the rules and very willing to cooperate … It only takes them one time (to slip up)."

When a student violates the policy a second time, school staff will get parents involved.

"The fact that there’s a penalty to pay before they can get them back," Kokinos said, "has significantly cut down on the occurrence."

Annoying classroom interruptions, she said, are nearly gone. Enforcement works at OPHS.

Concerning emergency situations, Kokinos said if a parent had to reach a student in an emergency, the office could respond quickly.

But that’s not the only problem, according to OPUSD Board of Education student representative Alex Connor. He sees danger in the parking lots at OPHS. Many vehicles have been broken into and a friend of his had his car stolen from the campus parking area in broad daylight.

What if, he asked, a student came out and saw his/her car being stolen or burglarized? A cell phone, he said, would be useful.

But luckily, students do carry cell phones—they just keep them hidden, Connor said. In many cases, students leave their phones or pagers on silent or vibration mode, he said.

Connor, a senior, agreed that classroom disturbances have decreased. But he only recalled three or four of them in the last four years. Many, he said, were from a particular teacher last year whose phone rang quite often in the classroom.

Another concern is that cell phones are being used to buy or sell drugs or alcohol.

But most students use phones for social or safety reasons, according to Connor and OPUSD boardmember Jim Kalember.