Sprague High School students no longer will be able to use cellphones or earbuds during class times, Principal Chad Barkes said in a newsletter sent to parents last week.
“Beginning this school year, Sprague HS will have a new cellphone policy designed to help students be more focused on their work and develop deeper connections with their peers and teachers,” Barkes wrote. “We understand this is a big change and the Sprague staff is committed to helping students develop positive new classroom habits.”
Although Barkes wrote that the policy is new at Sprague, Salem-Keizer Public Schools officials said those have been the rules for years.
District policy prohibits high school students from using phones during instructional time. It allows students to use phones during lunch and passing times.
In lower grades, students may not use phones at all during the school day, including at lunch. Those students are asked to turn their cellphones off and keep them inside their backpacks or locker, or in the school office.