ELIDA — A new school policy took effect Wednesday at Elida High School that banned students’ use of most electronic devices during the school day.
High School Principal Justin Firks, in an undated letter to staff, students and families, said students who were “participating in inappropriate behaviors that include disruptions, bullying, recording and promoting fights” led administrators to restrict the use of student cellular phones, Bluetooth headphones, air pods and smart watches during the school day.
According to his missive obtained by The Lima News, beginning Wednesday “personal communication devices must be turned off and stored in lockers during instructional time, in study hall, at lunch and in the hallways.”
Devices confiscated as a result of defying the ban may be picked up by parents or a guardian from the school building administrator. Failure to comply with the school rule may result in additional disciplinary action, the principal’s letter stated.
Firks said parents may call the school office at 419-338-6801 to relay important messages to students. He said students who need to call their parents during the school day should do so using a school phone in one of the offices.
Some of the “issues” cited by Firks as the reason for the ban included:
• students continuously taking out phones during class without permission;
• students watching movies/listening to music while in class;
• students participating in group texts/chats during class; and
• students taking pictures/videos and posting to TikTok and Snapchat during the day.
Firks did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday afternoon.
