Ms. Laura Callender

PERSONAL ELECTRONICS DEVICE POLICY

Phones and listening devices must be on SILENT and put away in a bag, purse, or backpack.  Students may NOT keep phones in their pockets.*  Students without a bag, purse, or backpack MUST store their phones in the classroom phone locker for the duration of class.

*Research has shown that the mere presence of a phone can result in "brain drain," lowering academic performance, not only for the phone's owner, but for all those present in the room.  In addition to this, studies further demonstrate a "proximity effect" - the closer the phone is to the body, the lower the academic performance.  More studies are being conducted every year showing that excessive use of smartphones can cause impaired impulse control, reduced inhibition, reduced creativity, and the inability to sustain attention and exert prolonged mental effort.