By KERI CHAMPION

Staff Reporter

RESERVE- With the ongoing debate about cell phone use in schools raging nationally, the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board Discipline Committee is pushing for stricter guidelines on cell phone use in schools.

The committee, which met for the second of at least five meetings on Wednesday, recommended they present to the School Board a revision to the cell phone confiscation policy already in place at the schools.

Currently, the policy states that cell phones can be confiscated for 24 hours if students are found using them during school and then confiscated for the remainder of the school year for the second offense, with an option of alternatives to suspension, and suspension for repeated offenses.

Alternatives to suspension include detention and in-school suspension.

The new policy would state that the cell phones can be confiscated for the remainder of the school year on the first offense with alternatives to suspension, and suspension for repeated offenses. Cell phone use will not be allowed under any circumstances in the classroom, including talking, texting, Internet, or video/audio capability.

Also, new wording will release the schools of all responsibility of lost or damaged items confiscated by the staff. The School Board will discuss the recommendations at a later date.

Other issues of concern brought to the discipline committee were the use of cameras and video in classroom, and a new addition to discipline policies that prohibits cyber-bullying from sites such as Myspace and Facebook.

The definition of cyber-bullying will be added at a future meeting of the discipline committee. All recommendations are pending review and approval of the Board.