Kevin Kelly is happy about many things as he goes through the day as principal at Glen Lake High School.

ADMINISTRATORS AT Leelanau County
schools have policies in place that target the
use of electronic devices like iPods (center)
and cell phones.

One aspect that makes him happiest as principal: poor cellular phone coverage at the school.
“When I got the job here (2006), there was no cell service. I was elated,” Kelly said. While cellular phone service is spotty in the area near the Glen Lake Community Schools campus, Kelly said he knows most students either have their own cell phone or access to one.
Cell phones, MP3 music players and other electronic devices are a reality that even the smallest school districts are facing these days. Suttons Bay, Glen Lake, Northport and Leland boards of education and school administrators have policies in place that restrict use of the devices during school hours or ban their presence in school buildings.
Kelly said at his last job, student use of cell phones and digital voice and video recorders was a reoccurring problem. “We spent an inordinate amount of time policing students with cell phones and iPods,” he said.
Students are not to bring cell phones to Glen Lake..
“We’re concerned about theft, the amount of administrative time spent making sure these rules are followed. We are also very concerned about student privacy,” Kelly said. Issues involving the potential for cheating, through text messaging to a fellow student for an answer to a test question are also being watched.
Kelly and his staff know there are students who bring their phones to school, despite the official policy. “For parents it is a safety issue, being able to contact their children at any time. I’m wise enough to know some students are bringing their phones in with them. Our expectation is we don’t want to hear it during the school day,” Kelly said.
A student caught using a cell phone at school will have it confiscated for the day. If it happens again, the phone is taken away and a parent has to pick it up at school.
There hasn’t been a problem with cell phone use during school hours at Glen Lake, Kelly said.
“It’s like a breath of fresh air. The parents and students understand what we are trying to do and help out,” he said.
As to other electronic devices, Kelly said the district is working on a broader electronics policy. “We ask that you keep your iPods, headphones, and camcorders at home,” he said.
Michael Murray, superintendent of Suttons Bay Public Schools, said while many people have heard the story of a student using his cell phone’s digital camera to take a picture of a test’s answer and mailed it to a friend, he doesn’t believe it.
“It’s an urban legend. A bigger concern we have is student privacy,” he said.
The school’s policy for cell phones requires students to turn them off the school day. They’re allowed to turn the phones back on once they are out of the school building. Murray said cell phones and digital cameras are forbidden in the school’s locker room and bathrooms.
“I’ve seen where kids at schools in other states have taken a video of someone in a locker room then posted it on YouTube later that afternoon. That’s what we want to avoid, any invasion of a student’s privacy,” he said.
Murray and his staff are revising the existing electronic recordable devices policy to allow students with attention deficit disorders to use devices like “flash drives” to copy class assignments and homework, and take their school work home with them. The current policy excludes their use. “Right now, students can not bring things in like a Palm Pilot and use it to copy down an assignment,” he said. Murray will be recommending changes to the school’s policy at its Nov. 12 meeting.
Leland Public Schools and Northport Public School both have similar policies.
Leland principal Terry Breen said students may bring cell phones to school, but the devices must be shut off and out of sight during the school day. As to other electronic devices, like MP3 players and iPods, they may be used in class with the teacher’s permission.
“Sometimes, teachers like to use a recording of a book or novel, so it is left up to them to make that decision,” Breen said.
If a student is caught using a phone during class, the phone is confiscated for a day. If it happens an second time, the phone is taken away for a week, or until a parent comes in and claims it.
“Since the start of the school year I’ve had only two phones sitting on my desk for just a few hours. The students are really good about not using their phones during class and not creating a disturbance,” Breen said.
Northport superintendent Tyrus Wessell said Northport has a similar policy: don’t use cell phones during class, and respect everyone’s right to privacy at school as well. Neither Wessell nor Breen said they were aware of any instances where a student used a cell phone or electronic recording device to try and cheat on a test.