By Kelsey Eidson | Staff Writer

Today’s technology is skyrocketing in frequency of use, and is inevitably being brought into the classrooms. Recently, students have been using their phones for more than simply passing the time with Angry Birds and texting.

“There have been a couple of incidents where [students] recorded teachers, substitutes, and things that are going on in the classroom,” principal John Mehlbrech said.

This somewhat-shocking news was no surprise to Mehlbrech.

“The easy access to the devices we have today make it that much of a normalcy,” Melbrech said.

Mehlbrech has spoken with his faculty and made them aware of these incidents; and to be prepared to be caught in a candid recording.

“As these devices get smaller and more powerful, you have to be real careful as to what you’re doing and what you’re saying,” Mehlbrech said. “And how you say, it because it can instantaneously be on the web.”

A new etiquette policy titled “Electronic Devices Digital Citizenship” is currently being constructed for approval through CIC.

“It’s a policy that we are going to implement at the beginning of next year, where we’re going to restrict more of [tech] usage school-wide,” Mehlbrech said.

These restrictions aren’t meant to hold back learning possibilities in the classroom. Instead, they will limit the unnecessary use of technology in the hallways and other places outside of an educational setting.

“The policy will be shared with the parents and will be shared with the students,” Mehlbrech said.

The issues causing this policy lie deeper than the use of cell phones at school. They exist in regard to the appropriateness of technology as a whole.

“When [students] go out with their families for dinner, you see them texting, or they’re playing a video game on [their phones], so there’s no family dinner anymore,” Mehlbrech said.

The growing use of these innovations are and will continue to work themselves into our day-to-day lives.

“So we’re trying to, with all of this new technology, see when is it appropriate to use it and when should we just keep it away,” Mehlbrech said.

More information on this issue exists: Check out the blog at this link.