Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) The bell to bell cell phone ban destined to take effect next school year is for public schools across New York State. It begs the question of whether private and Catholic schools will follow suit.
"We have a policy at Canisius where students put their cell phones into pouches at the beginning of class. Cell phones are not permitted during classes, but they can carry them at other times during the day," said Tom Coppola, Principal at Canisius High School.
The Buffalo private school with an enrollment of approximately 600 students also has a 1:1 iPad program in which all students, faculty, and staff use iPads for educational purposes. Coppola said students carry those devices, but they are managed by the school.
Will the policy change, due to the statewide ban for public schools?
"We evaluate our policies each summer. As of now, we don't have plans to change it because we feel that it works at Canisius," added Coppola.
He noted that part of their obligation is to teach students how to use technology responsibly. "It's part of what we do in class over the course of four years."
Coppola said he talks with other principals of private and catholic schools. "We have these conversations all of the time and I would suspect that most schools will stick with their current policies."
While Canisius manages the student iPads, Coppola said the school does not like the idea of a one size fits all, blanket policy. "A 14 year old freshman is much different than an 18 year old senior. We have different restrictions for freshmen, than for upper classmen."