Purpose
These guidelines outline the appropriate use of personal cell phones and mobile devices by staff members during school hours to ensure a professional, safe, and focused learning environment. These guidelines are intended to support restrictions of cell phone use for students, while also recognizing that guidelines for students and adults should be differentiated.
Scope
These guidelines apply to all employees of Lake County School District, including full-time, part-time, temporary, and substitute staff.
Guidelines
1. General Expectations
- Personal cell phones and mobile devices such as Smart Watches should be kept on silent or vibrate mode, and should not be used for non-emergency purposes, during instructional time, meetings, and professional activities.
- Staff should not use personal devices during active supervision of students, including classroom instruction, recess, lunch duty, hallway monitoring, and field trips.
- Use of personal phones for non-emergency personal communication should be limited to break times, planning periods, or lunch.
2. Emergency Use
- Staff are encouraged to share the school’s front office number with family members and to encourage them to call the school in case of emergency. Front office and administrative staff will make sure that staff are notified immediately that there is a personal emergency that requires their attention, and will arrange coverage as needed so that the staff member may respond.
- Personal cell phones may be used in emergency situations. In such cases, staff must prioritize student safety and notify administration as soon as practical.
- Staff are expected to be reachable by school communication systems (e.g., intercom, email, internal messaging, phone system, PowerSchool) during work hours.
3. Professional Use of Personal Devices
- Staff may use personal devices for instructional or professional purposes (e.g., educational apps, classroom management tools) with prior approval from administration.
- Any photos or videos taken of students for school purposes must comply with Lake County School District’s media consent and privacy policies.
Enforcement
- Supervisors and administrators reserve the right to address misuse on a case-by-case basis. Repeated violations may lead to disciplinary action in accordance with the employee code of conduct and any relevant negotiated agreements.
