The Mathews County School Board resumed its discussion geared to developing a policy regulating student use of cell phones in school during Tuesday’s monthly meeting, which was held in the Mathews High School media center.
Tuesday’s discussion included an examination of surveys of students, parents and employees on the issue, as well as reports of disciplinary problems experienced at each of the three schools as a result of cell phone use.
Two surveys were conducted by the division last month. In the employee survey, slightly over half (50.5 percent) of those responding said they thought students should be allowed to bring their cell/smartphones to school, and about three quarters (75.2 percent) said students should not be allowed to use them during class for instructional purposes. An overwhelming majority (86.1 percent) were in favor of the school board developing a division-wide policy restricting student use in the classroom, with the primary reason being that it distracts from lea...