by Bill Huesken ’14
Technology policy at Saint Ignatius High School will be more relaxed next year, according to the principal, Mr. Daniel Bradesca.
For the 2013-2014 school year, students will be permitted to have one device to use for educational purposes on the school’s BYOT system. The device could be a smart phone, an iPad or other tablet, or a laptop. Students will not be allowed to talk on phones; they can only use them for academic pursuits. Teachers will still be able to ask students to put devices away.
Not all details of the plan have been decided yet; the complete policy will be sent to parents this summer.
While the school will not be able to monitor everything students do with their technology, students will get in trouble if they are caught misusing it. Mr. Bradesca hopes that students will not take their new privileges too far. “We’re extending freedom to students and expecting responsibility,” he said.
Some students have been hoping for designated zones where they could text freely and otherwise use their phones next year, but Mr. Bradesca said no such zones are planned.
“We talked about possible cell-phone areas, but nothing really came of it,” he said. Cell phones will not be permitted in the chapel or in locker rooms, he added.
