Students are seeing changes in the “Away for the Day” policy as the new school year begins. The policy has not only returned to its previous rule of banning phones during lunch, but there are new consequences. 

Staff began allowing students to start using their phones again during lunch in April as a “trial period.” This has since been revoked due to the rising number of phone-related referrals given in the afternoon classes. 

When administration first enacted “Away for the Day,” the repercussions included multiple warnings, followed by a minor referral, which would then lead to the phone being left in the office each day for an extended period of time. This has been changed to motivate students further to stay off their personal devices. 

The first reported offense of a phone being used in the classroom will result in the phone being confiscated to the office until the end of the school day. After a second offense, the student’s parents have to come pick it up, and a third offense will result in a meeting between the student, their parents, and school administration. 

The new policies were determined after many meetings that took place over the last school year and summer. Assistant principal Matt Amerson now works to enforce these rules.

 “Over the summer the admin team reviewed referral data and determined that the trial period was not effective,” Amerson said. 

Dean of Students Bryan Denninger has stated that there are currently no plans to change the rule for the remainder of this school year. Staff will monitor phone-related referrals to see if any changes occur.

“It’s up to the student to work with us and make the right decisions for themselves,” Denninger states.