THE Municipality of Barili has passed an ordinance prohibiting students of elementary and secondary schools from using cell phones inside the classroom during class hours.
Approved en masse on May 15, 2019, the measure also provides for teachers and parents to educate students on responsible use of cell phones given the lewd and violent content online.
Barili Mayor Marlon Garcia signed the measure on
May 21, 2019.
“Cellular phones and similar devices may be advantageous to students because it is their means of communication with their parents and there are applications in phones that can aid in lessons.... It has been noted that cellular telephones have been proliferated with lewd and obscene picture messages, particularly those capable of multimedia services, internet connectivity, and video and photo storage,” a portion of the measure read.
Under the ordinance, a student caught using his/her phone during class hours would be verbally reminded by the teacher on first offense.
Parents of habitual violators, on the other hand, would receive a written report from the teacher.
Gadgets would be confiscated and would be turned over directly to the parents of third-time violators.
At the Capitol, the Provincial Board referred the legislation to the committee on basic education for comment and recommendation during its regular session last Monday, July 22. (RTF)