DERBY, Conn. (AP) – Derby High School officials are considering making it more expensive for students to phone home – or anywhere else – during class.
Teachers are constantly confiscating phones that go off during class, principal Michael Novia said. Recently he had five confiscated cell phones in a drawer in his office and they all kept ringing even after they had been taken.
Novia is proposing fines that would start at $3, then go up to $5 for a second offense and $10 for a third. Students would have to pay the fines to retrieve their phones if they are confiscated after going off in class.
The fines would be used to sponsor an after-prom party for students. “I think it’s a fun and practical way to lessen cell phone use,” Novia said.
The Connecticut Association of Boards of Education says it isn’t aware of any other schools that fine students for using cell phones in class. Most just hand out detentions or suspensions.
The fines still need approval from the full Board of Education and may face opposition from parents who want their students to be able to use their phones during school.
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