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Jasmine Nash, 16, left, an Empire High School student, lets Shelby Stephens, 14, listen to her iPod after classes while hanging out with Danielle Patton, behind Nash, Ki'Onna Williams, middle, and Savannah Duranti, right. Empire students can use iPods before and after school, between classes and during lunch.
Photos by A.E. Araiza / Arizona Daily Star
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School and district electronics policies
Vail School District
• Each school in the district has its own separate electronics policy, although every middle school prohibits the use of the devices on campus.
Cienega High School
• Students are only allowed to use cell phones during lunch periods.
• The school permits students to possess cell phones, as long as they are not seen by school employees. Any cell phone seen by a school employee will be confiscated and returned to the student's parent or guardian.
• iPods, CD players and other electronics are not to be used in classrooms. If a device is confiscated, it will be returned to the parent or guardian.
Empire High School
• Cell phones cannot be used during the school day, including lunch. Students can use cell phones before and after school.
• Teachers have their own policies regarding the use of iPods and MP3 players during class time. The devices are allowed on campus and can be used between class periods and during lunch.
Desert Sky Middle School
• Students are not allowed to use cell phones or other electronics on campus during the school day.
• If students bring devices to school, they must shut them off and keep them in their backpacks.
• When a student is caught a third time, the device will be confiscated and will not be returned to the parent or student until the last day of the semester.
Old Vail Middle School
• Students are not allowed to bring cell phones, iPods, MP3 players and other electronics to school.
Corona Foothills Middle School
• Cell phones cannot be taken into the classrooms. Students must leave cell phones in the office during the day.
• iPods, MP3 players, CD players and other devices are not allowed at school.
Sahuarita Unified School District
• Sahuarita High School and Sahuarita Middle School have individual policies, but both schools have banned the use of all electronics on campus.
Sahuarita High School and Sahuarita Middle School
• Cell phones, iPods, laser pointers and other electronics are strictly prohibited on school grounds.
• Teachers and staff will confiscate any items they see. The items will only be returned to a parent or guardian.
Tucson Unified School District
• Tucson Unified School District enforces a district-wide policy that allows high school students to use cell phones during lunch time.
• Cell phones and other devices can be used on campuses before and after school.
• Elementary and middle school students cannot use cell phones or other electronics during lunch.
• School principals can allow students to use cell phones to contact parents during a school emergency.
• Students cannot use cell phones and other devices during class time or field trips.

East

When class bells ring, phones shouldn't

> Electronics Policies Vary by School, District; Students, Parents Advised to Check Handbooks <
By Jamar Younger
arizona daily star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 08.16.2007
Most Tucson-area students have already returned to school, but some may have to think twice about taking their iPods and cell phones onto campus.
Local school districts have varying policies on the use of electronics at school, ranging from limited use during lunchtime and before and after school, to zero tolerance for the use of any device.
Students and parents are advised to check their school or district handbook before heading to campus with electronics.
Schools and districts have different reasons for their policies. Some schools want to discourage the use of devices for cheating, while others want to help students maintain their focus.
"We want kids to interact with each other," said Empire High School Principal Cynthia Lee. "It can be a huge distraction."
Empire has one of the more liberal policies, especially when it comes to iPods and MP3 players.
Cell phones cannot be used at any time during the school day, but students can listen to iPods between classes and during lunch. Teachers have their own classroom policies on portable electronics, Lee said.
The school's policy is influenced by the fact that students use laptops instead of textbooks for class assignments, she said.
"A lot of teachers allow kids to use headphones during individual work and not class time," she said.
Empire senior Jasmine Lee, 17, believes the policy is fair.
"You have to pay attention. Learning is what we're here for," Lee said.
After school, it's a different story, said Lee, who has a cell phone and an iPod.
"Once school is over, the cell phone goes on and so does the iPod."
Below is a list of the policies for the different schools and districts in the Tucson area.
● Contact reporter Jamar Younger at 434-4076 or jyounger @azstarnet.com.
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