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Vernon schools to require students to store phones in lockers during instruction
Summary
Principals said the district will assign lockers to every student and ask that phones remain stored during instructional periods to reduce distractions; phones may be used during lunch and for after-school travel.
District leaders said the Vernon Township School District will require students to store cell phones in assigned lockers during instructional time beginning with the 2024–25 year. "Starting next school year students will be coming into the building every student is assigned a locker and students will be asked to place their cell phone in their locker," said Mrs. Young, principal of Vernon Township High School.
Administrators framed the rule as part of a broader effort to improve classroom focus and attendance. The district emphasized that phones are not banned from buildings: students may use devices during a 57-minute lunch period and will have access to phones after school for transportation and parent contact. School leaders also stressed the district is a one-to-one Chromebook environment and intends to teach students appropriate technology use and the implications of their "digital footprint."
The principals said the new approach grew out of ad hoc board discussions on absenteeism and cell-phone use this summer; the principals will present the policy recommendations to the Board of Education at an upcoming meeting.
