Charleston High School students have found themselves doing the unthinkable; they are turning off their cell phones in compliance with Charleston High School Student Cell Phone Policy.

The policy, which went in to effect this school year, states that students are not allowed to have cell phones on during regular school hours unless authorized by the administration or a supervising staff member.

Students may bring their phones to school but they need to be shut off and out of sight.

“Really, they are not allowed to use them during the school day. They have to be put up,” said Diane Hutchins, Charleston High School Principal. “I think it helps keep them from being distracted.”

Administrators are not the only ones who think cell phones do not belong in class.

“We have kids in class who lean up their books and text behind it. And usually they are in front of you and it’s like, ‘What are they saying?'” Lauren Buttran a Charleston High School student said,

Buttran has had her cell phone for a couple of years, but she thinks the cell-phone policy is a good rule.

But at the same time, wishes she could use her phone in school.

“It is very distracting and we probably shouldn’t be allowed too, so it’s OK,” Buttran said.

Students who violate the policy have their cell phone confiscated.

The phone can be picked up at the end of the day. A second offense will result in detention, and after a third offense the parents have to pick up the cell phone from the office.

“I’m not even aware of a second time offender,” Hutchins said.

Charleston’s high school is not the only school with a no cell-phone policy.

Charleston Middle School has a similar rule.

Charleston Middle School’s policy states that students may bring their phones, but there are to be shut off in the locker all day.

Sandy Wilson, principal of Charleston Middle School, says she understands the growing popularity of cell phones but she but she believes that there is no need for them in school.

The students are not the only ones who follow that rule.

Wilson has her own district-issued phone so she can be on call when not at school.

“When I’m here my phone is in my purse and off,” Wilson said.

Eastern does not currently has policy regarding cell phones, but some students think the university should.

“I don’t think people should have their phones on in class,” said Melissa Liedtke, a freshman journalism major. “Whenever they go off people automatically stop talking and stare at the person. It interferes with learning, especially with college since it’s more of a choice and you should be there to learn.”

Even though some students believe cell phones can be a distraction, students still rely on their cell phones to communicate.

“My cell phone is the only way I really stay connected to the people who aren’t in school with me,” Liedtke said. “With calling you are automatically able to get a hold of them.”