VOTE > Should phones be banned?

VIDEO > KREM 2’s Erik Hedlund reports

COUER D'ALENE-- A major change for students this year as cell phones are no longer allowed in the Coeur d’Alene School District.

So far officials at Coeur d’Alene High School have confiscated 17 phones.

Several phones were also taken away at Lake City High School.

The cell phone ban also includes i-pods, mp3 players, and video cameras.

All devices capable of recording video or audio are not allowed in classrooms.

KREM.com

Coeur d'Alene School Board votes to ban cell phones in schools.

The devices must be shut off when the student arrives each morning, and cannot be turned back on until they leave for the day.

After the first week of school, officials say they have not received a single complaint from parents or students.

Teachers say some students have been using the devices to cheat or cyber-bully other students.

The district is trying out the ban for the entire school year.

Officials want to see if the number of students caught cheating, suspensions, and lost cell phones decline.

Students caught using cell phones, or other devices, will have it taken away, and their parents will have to meet with a school administrator.