Special to the Times Vedette

After 40 years with the Wall and GIT Insurance Agencies, Diane Hemmen is retiring.

Join staff and friends to celebrate today, Friday, Sept. 27, from 2-4 p.m. at Café on the Hill.

By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette

School districts around the state are setting policies to address — and in some cases, ban — cellular phones. Panorama Schools Superintendent Kasey Huebner recently took time to outline how the Panorama School District is working to handle the pros and cons of cell phones and other electronic devices in an educational setting.

Huebner said the district’s policy allows for staff to ask for phones to be put away during the school day but also allows individual teachers to use flexibility based on the particular learning environment or situation. In addition, the policy allows staff to confiscate a device if repeated problems arise, although family would generally be contacted to help prevent that from becoming necessary.

 “I want to be transparent, so people can hear what we’re dealing with. At the end of the day, we’re all working together, so hopefully people can help us navigate some of these challenges,” Huebner said. “The reasons a lot of school districts are banning cell phones is distractions, bullying, people being mean online and social disruption. Cheating would be another aspect of it.”

The easiest of the challenges to discuss is distraction. Obviously, cell phones can be incredibly distracting, tempting students to pay attention to the phone rather than the teacher or curriculum.

Huebner lamented the fact that students in today’s world are growing up in an instant-access society, where they are bombarded by advertising and marketing around the clock.

The privacy challenge refers to the ability for cameras to be used inappropriately to violate someone’s privacy. School policy prohibits the use of cell phones in bathrooms and locker rooms and prohibits inappropriate photography of any sort.

Social media/bullying refers to peer pressure, body shaming and other types of bullying that have become rampant in our electronic age.

The concern about academic cheating refers to the easy access to information that can be misused to cheat on assignments, tests and/or reports.

Huebner explained that one of his main concerns related to cell phones in schools is the wellbeing of students.

“We want kids to be able to use the device to enhance, not necessarily to consume,” he said. “A lot of the apps that are made are created to addict the users. So, my concern is the personal wellness of the kids, too, to be able to get away from the cell phone.”

Huebner pointed out that Panorama’s school board has not recently dealt with any significant issues regarding cell phone policy, and no changes are currently planned. Overall, Huebner said the school district will continue to address the issues as they arise and work to adapt to the ever-changing technology. The electronic age has created a variety of issues that are new to this generation.

“Those are all things that we have to teach, that we didn’t have to teach in the past,” Huebner said.