Cell phones and pagers will be allowed in the four Glenbard high schools this fall, making District 87 the latest to permit at least limited use of the devices.
District 87 board members voted 5-1 Tuesday to change the policy, which had prohibited having the devices on campus.
“We won’t search backpacks [for cell phones],” said William Leensvaart, principal of Glenbard South. “Only if they go off during school hours will there be disciplinary action.”
Although board members voiced concerns about the possible disruption the devices may cause, principals had asked for the change because pay phones are no longer serving students’ needs.
High schools in Evanston and Palatine recently relaxed their regulations and more are likely to follow. State legislators May 15 repealed the state ban on cell phones in public schools, except where districts allowed them. Now the decision is left entirelyto the districts. The legislation is awaiting Gov. George Ryan’s signature.
Other board action this week included acceptance of a $163,000 HealthSouth bid for six athletic trainers and approval of a $25,000 expenditure for new Glenbard South fitness equipment.
The six sub-contracted trainers will join the district’s two in-house trainers, providing each school with one male and one female athletic trainer for the 2002-03 school year.
