Starting next school year, the Rockwood School District may allow high school students to use cell phones during lunch and passing periods.

The Administrative Services Department has recommended that this more lenient policy, already in practice at Rockwood Summit, be adopted, Principal John Shaughnessy said.

This decision comes after a cell phone committee met in January. Three in which three out of four high schools voted in favor of this policy. Lafayette was the only no vote.

However, the Board of Eduation still has yet to officially approve the change.
Still, even with the passage of this new policy, individual high schools would still have some flexibility in how they establish this policy.

“Each high school can have stricter rules,” Assistant Principal Matt Dieckhaus said. “We are considering it. We’re looking at all the options and possibilities of what it means for us [to have stricter rules].”

The Lafayette administration will make a decision by the end of April. Lafayette’s student handbook next year will either reflect the district’s new policy, or include Lafayette’s previous cell phone policy, Dieckhaus said.