It’s what Vicki Douglas didn’t hear that troubled her.
After returning to work in January 2007 following the death of her 19-year-old son, Douglas made several phone calls to her younger son, a junior at Goodrich High School, only to get his voice mail.
‘He did not answer his phone after school was out’I was alarmed,? said Douglas, an Atlas Township resident. ‘I don’t have a land line at our home, so I left work early, raced home and found him sitting there without a cell phone.?
Douglas’s son’s cell phone had been confiscated by high school officials after he was caught with it operational during class hours. The repercussion was losing his phone until the next school day.their discretion, prohibit the possession of cellular telephones in their classrooms in particular circumstances, such as during examinations, demonstrations, or presentations. The penalty for violations of this policy are confiscation of the device for one school day, to be returned after the next school day or a three-day suspension for insubordination and retention of the device.
‘I’m sure we will look at the issue and do an assessment of the policy,? said Michael Tripp, Goodrich School Board president. ‘The principals at the schools will have to take a look at this issue and determine if we are leaving the students vulnerable. I think Ms. Douglas has a point. The last thing we want to do is have some student end up in a ditch because we have their cell phone at school.?
In the Brandon School District, students who use their cell phone during the school day must serve a 50-minute detention after school.
‘Cell phones before or after school are the students? lifelines,? said Michael Ferguson, Brandon High School principal. ‘But during school it’s out-of-sight-out-of-mind. Our policy is two-fold; either they serve time or if a parent really wants the phone at home, they can come and get it. And once in a while they come and get the phones.?
Ferguson said there have been very few problems with cell phones during school.
‘Students are going home, on the road without a cell phone,? said Douglas. ‘It’s just not right, there’s too many ‘what ifs?’it leaves our students vulnerable.?

The penalty irked Douglas.
‘If there was an emergency, how could he call 9-1-1?’she asked. ‘My son drives to school each day and in the majority of households both parents are working. I believe there should be discipline for using their cell phones during the school day, I just think the policy should be revised.?
The current Goodrich school policy allows for students to have a cellular telephone in their possession on school grounds. However, that cell phone may not be used in any manner in a school building or on property used for instruction during the school day. During all times when its use is not permitted, a cellular telephone’s power must be completely turned off. Classroom teachers may, at