LAUSD CALLING FOR CHANGE BOARD EXPECTED TO LIFT CELL PHONE BAN; MANY ADMINISTRATORS HAVE RESERVATIONS.Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer As soon as school let out, Monroe High School For other uses, see James Monroe High School. Monroe High School may refer to:
Other students around her were busy dialing parents and friends to make after-school arrangements. It's a familiar scene that plays out daily across school campuses. Recognizing that cell phones have become a vital means of communication, especially during emergencies, the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. board plans at the end of the month to rescind To declare a contract void—of no legal force or binding effect—from its inception and thereby restore the parties to the positions they would have occupied had no contract ever been made. rescind v. a longstanding ban of cell phones on campus. District officials want to adopt new rules allowing students to bring cell phones to school, but would require the devices be turned off during school hours. If students are caught using them during class, the district could confiscate To expropriate private property for public use without compensating the owner under the authority of the Police Power of the government. To seize property. When property is confiscated it is transferred from private to public use, usually for reasons such as the phones or punish students in other ways. ``Certainly, our rules need to be flexible enough to accommodate youngsters,'' said school board member Jon Lauritzen, who represents the west San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . ``My main concern is whatever program we come up with not be disruptive in the classroom. The youngsters have to keep their phones secured in the backpacks and turned off in the classroom.'' Citing heightened emergency-awarness since 9-11 and school shootings that have rocked campuses throughout the country, Superintendent Roy Romer Roy R. Romer (born October 31, 1928 in Garden City, Kansas, United States) was the 39th governor of Colorado and served as the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District from 2001 to 2006. , parents, students, teachers and school board members have generally expressed support for doing away with the ban. But the majority of school administrators said in a recent survey conducted by the district that they were opposed to lifting the ban. They worried about students misusing cell phones to cheat or even to take illicit pictures in locker rooms. On top of that, they were concerned about crank calls, loss or theft of phones, unnecessary calls to emergency agencies and fights starting over phone possession. Seventy-four percent of those surveyed did not believe the district should change its existing policy prohibiting cell phones and 77 percent believed if cell phones were allowed, they would cause significant problems. Angelo Bellomo, LAUSD's director of environmental health and safety, said he is trying to balance the concerns of administrators with the interests of parents and students. ``There is a lot of staff work to come up with something that makes sense,'' he said. Monroe Principal Gregory Vallone, who wrote a research paper on the cell phone issue for his master's degree master's degree n. An academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those who complete at least one year of prescribed study beyond the bachelor's degree. Noun 1. , noted that many states and districts have already repealed their cell phone ban without causing major problems. Locally, the William S. Hart Union High School District in Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, and Antelope Valley Union High School District The Antelope Valley Union High School District (A.V.U.H.S.D.) is located in the Antelope Valley area of California, in northern Los Angeles County. The district includes eight public high schools, one trade school, and two continuation high schools in the cities of Palmdale in Lancaster did so earlier in the year. ``This is something we have to do to allow students to feel safe and parents to do good parenting,'' said Vallone. Cell phones were originally banned on school campuses because they were once associated with drug-dealing. But in recent years, they have become increasingly prevalent because technological advances have made them affordable. Mikhail said her parents are less ``worried and stressed out'' knowing they can reach her by cell phone. ``Say if somebody in the family is sick, (parents) can get directly to (students),'' she said, ``instead of going through the school and all that hassle.'' Marsha Minassian, president of the 31st District Parent-Teacher-Student Association, said parents frequently call schools to leave messages for their children, but overwhelmed clerks don't always have the time to pass on the notes. ``Parents have busy lives and kids have busy lives. They need a way to get a hold of each other,'' she said. Helen Gao, (818) 713-3741 helen.gao(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Heba Mikhail, a student at James Monroe High School James Monroe High School may refer to:
(2) Monroe High School science teacher Suzanne Gosney talks about cell phones, currently banned on campus. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
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