Lawmakers working to halt cell abuses in schools

Snapping photos of classmates on the toilet, forwarding nasty rumors, sending pictures of their own genitals — this is how some kids are using cell phones in schools. And lawmakers Friday took the first step to help schools put a stop to it.

The House Public Utilities and Technology Committee passed HB295 to the full House for debate.

Sponsored by Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, the bill requires school boards to create policies on electronic devices, addressing when they are allowed in school and what will happen if they're used inappropriately. Policies must prohibit using devices to humiliate or harass others and require parents to pick up confiscated devices. The state school board also has to come up with a model policy to share.

All but 25 percent to 30 percent of Utah schools already have various policies; principals say they'd like stronger, more uniform rules, Allen said.

Problems are becoming more prevalent. This week, Davis School District attorney Michelle Beus said a child younger than third grade brought an old cell phone to school that contained pornographic photos, which were shared on the playground. There was also a group of students at Farmington Junior High who were questioned by police in January because they were allegedly trading nude pictures of each other over their cell phones.

Academic concerns also have arisen.

"I don't think people realize the amount of cheating that goes on," said substitute teacher and Southern Utah University graduate student James Graf. Cell phones can be used to text message answers and photograph tests.

While some parents like the phones to keep contact with children, Beus noted that the phones are not an effective safety measure, as in a crisis phone lines often jam. Courts also have upheld school cell phone bans in New York schools, she said.

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