LEE COUNTY, Fla. — These days it’s rare to see children without a device in their hand.
“You’d see them hiding under the desk, texting.”
Some teachers say enough is enough; time to put the screen away.
“I took them at the door.”
Hawkins is one of many teachers annoyed by cellphone usage during school hours. She asks her students to put their phone near her desk until the end of class. Some teachers are even locking them inside a box.
“I think the locked box is a good idea because you don’t risk it being taken,” Hawkins said.
Some parents are worried about locking the phones away make it challenging to get in contact with someone in an emergency.
Tia Gambrel-Irizarry’s son went to a school in Parkland and was part of the lockdown during last year’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School. She says her son’s texts saved them from thinking the worst.
“It was relieving, scary, but you still appreciate knowing. As long as they’re texting you, they’re alive.”
Hawkins says it’s more important for students to keep their eyes on their surroundings rather than a screen during emergencies.
“If you’re trying to call your parent, then you’re making noise, and you’re going to bring that attention if the gunman is by your classroom.”
As a parent, Gambrel-Irizarry says it’s hard for her to think about not hearing from her kids in those situations.
“It’s scary to think like ‘what if there’s an emergency,’ but that’s just the way we have to think now.”
Lee County School District allows cellphones on school grounds as long as they’re off during regular school hours. High school students are allowed to use their phones during non-instructional times or for an approved activity. If caught violating the rules, the punishments could range from detention to community service.
