FILE: GAMI
EMPLOYEE USE OF TELEPHONE AND OTHER ELECTRONIC TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICES
All East Feliciana Parish School Board employees - including teachers, support staff, substitutes and those contracted for services and visitors - may possess electronic telecommunication devices in any elementary, middle, or high school building, or on the grounds thereof or in any school bus used to transport public school students or during the course of driving a School Board-owned vehicle. However, use of these devices shall be governed by the following provisions:
Devices shall not be used during instructional time, while on duty, during professional development/in-services, or in the presence of students unless authorized by the Superintendent, Administrator or his/her designee, except in an emergency. An emergency is defined as an actual or imminent threat to public health or safety, which may result in loss of life, injury, or property damage.
Camera phones with video and/or still photography capabilities, voice recording capabilities, or future technological improvements and/or equivalent equipment shall not be used unless authorized by the Superintendent, Administrator or his/her designee.
During the weeks of state testing (including end-of-course tests), phones and other electronic telecommunication devices (with or without cameras) shall be prohibited in the same room with secure testing materials.
District level personnel visiting any school site or attending any school/district related meeting shall turn off their cell phones, or put them or other electronic telecommunication devices on vibrate or silent, as authorized by their immediate supervisor.
Employees shall not make or receive cellular phone calls during any professional meetings which they are required to attend, i.e., faculty meetings, department meetings, in-service sessions, etc.
Employees may not make or receive cellular phone calls during any time that they are driving School Board-owned vehicles. The Board recognizes that there are employees who are in transit are required to maintain contact with their departments/schools while driving a vehicle. Any employee who is contacted by their department/school while driving a vehicle should come to a complete stop at a safe place as soon as possible and respond to the call in a timely manner.
While the operation of the School Board and its schools is governed by the provisions of this and all other Board policies, handbooks, regulations, and procedures, as well as procedures of the individual schools, no policy manual can list each and every instance of misconduct that is precluded. Accordingly, employees are cautioned that the appropriateness of certain action or behavior must necessarily be dictated by the nature of the position held by the employee and standards of common sense. By virtue of one's education and experience, an employee knows and understands that certain actions or conducts are unacceptable even in the absence of formal Board Policy. Such conduct constitutes both incompetence and willful neglect of duty. Such conduct, as well as violation of any state or federal law or School Board policies, handbooks, regulations, or procedures, or school regulations or procedures, shall result in a case by-case review by the Superintendent and/or his/her designee and may result in imposition of discipline up to and including but not limited to written reprimands, suspensions from work without pay and/or benefits and dismissal of the employee.
DEFINITIONS·
Electronic Communication includes any direct communication facilitated by voice or text-based telecommunication devices, or both, computers, as well as those devices that facilitate indirect communication using an intermediate method, including but not limited to Internet-based social networks. It shall also include transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature in whole or in part by wire, radio, electromagnetic, photoelectric, or photo-optical system and pertains to both personal and School Board issued devices.
Electronic mail - the transmission of text-based information or communication by use of the Internet, computers, a facsimile machine, a pager, a cellular telephone, a video recorder, or any other electronic device or means sent to a person identified by a unique address or address number and received by that person.
Computers- pertains to any and all computers.
Social networks - locations on the Internet where users may interact with other users -- examples are Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Bevo, Linkedin, Tumblr, Flickr, Pinterest and any other social networks sites available on the internet.
Improper or inappropriate communications - any communication between employees during work hours, regardless of who initiates the communication, that may be viewed as derogatory, sexual or lewd in content, threatening or harassing, discriminatory, simple fraternization, or suggestive in nature.
Real Need is defined as a situation where an employee may need to be contacted without delay. In such a case, employees should not talk on the cellular phone in front of students. The employee should inform their immediate supervisor/school administration when this situation exists, whenever possible.
Use and Operation shall mean whenever the cellular phone or any other form of electronic communication device is turned "on".
Adopted: April1, 2014
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 17:239
East Feliciana Parish School Board Transportation Handbook
East Feliciana Parish School Board