NO CELL PHONES ALLOWED IN SCHOOLS

It`s pretty safe to say that cell phones are everywhere these days, and for many teenagers, that includes at school. While teens are attached to their cell phones, many school officials aren`t attached to the idea of students having them in the classroom. WDHN spoke with Dothan High School Principal, Dr. Jimmy McCarty about what both officials and the law, have to say about it. Cell phones...gotta have one at all times, right? In case of an emergency or just to say hello to a friend...well your mobile to mobile connection will have to wait until the last bell rings if you are a student attending Dothan High, or any school in the state of Alabama for that matter. Dr. McCarty says, "that law was passed in 1989 (89-953) no Board of Education shall permit any pupil to carry a pocket pager or electronic communication device in school except for health or other extraordinary needs upon approval by the Board of Education, and when we talk about electronic devices, we`re also talking about cell phones." Dr. McCarty also says, "the rule is not to punish students, but designed to keep them safe...if they ring in the classroom then naturally it`s a disruption to tht class. Another problem is students text messaging to cheat on exams, and Dothan has had problems with someone calling in a bomb threat." Twelth graders Grant Moore and Kizmick Caliste both agree that cells in class are a hinderance to higher learning, but at other times, like Columbine, alerting police...it`s half and half. Kizmick says, "cell phones are convenient...everybody has one, but we`re coming to learn." Students who choose to break the cell phone rule could face from two days in-school suspension to the exteme of being suspended altogether, depending on the number of offenses.