Indiana School Bus Laws for Drivers
Here’s what drivers in Indiana should know when navigating around a stopped school bus.
At the beginning of this school year, Indiana will implement a new law that bans cell phones in class. Two high schools in the Indianapolis area have had this law since their inception.
At Herron-Riverside High School, students are not seen using cell phones or headphones in the hallways, during lunch, or in class, and students are expected to put them away during the school day.
While most high schools in central Indiana have exceptions in their policies—such as allowing cell phone use during recess or lunch—Herron-Riverside and its sister school, Herron High School, have had a zero cell phone policy since the founding of the two charter schools (Herron in 2006 and Riverside in 2017).
Herron-Riverside Principal Emanuel Harper said the cellphone ban policy has been so successful so far because the families who choose the school are all aware of what they are getting into and support the school’s mission.
“It’s part of a conscious recognition that cell phone use during the school day can be a distraction, not only in terms of instruction and engagement with content, but also in terms of students’ excessive engagement with social media,” Harper told IndyStar.
Find out about your school’s policies: Indiana state law prohibits the use of cell phones in class. Indiana schools have included exceptions in their policies
If a student is caught using a phone during the school day, the device will be confiscated by a staff member and the student can get the phone back at the end of the day.
If the student is caught using their device a second time, the phone will be taken away and school staff will call a parent or guardian before returning the device.
For each subsequent violation, the device will be confiscated and a parent or guardian must come to school to pick it up.
The new law allows exceptions for cell phone use in schools, such as when a teacher allows use for educational purposes, in emergencies or for medical purposes, or when it is specified in a student’s IEP or 504 plan.
News about the start of school: Here’s when to stop for a school bus on various Indiana roads and highways
However, Harper said teachers are not allowed to change phone usage policies for their classrooms to avoid confusion.
“It destroys relationships and our school and our staff act with one voice,” Harper said.
Parents from Riverside praise mobile phone ban
Erin Jostes said she really likes the cell phone policy, especially because it helps her daughter Lily Jostes, a sophomore at Riverside, better focus on her schoolwork.
Jostes, whose daughter transferred to the school from Zionsville Community Schools, said Lily had not been taught how to use her phone responsibly and that allowing her to use the phone for class was not working.
“If you tell 12- to 14-year-olds they can use their phones, they will look at what they want to look at,” Jostes said.
A common reason parents want their children to carry a cell phone with them at all times at school is safety concerns.
But parents like Katheryn Kasper, whose son August is a junior at Riverside, said it has never been a problem getting in touch because students regularly use their laptops at school.
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She also said the school has communicated well with parents when safety issues arise, such as a threat near the school, but Kasper says she feels safe sending August to Riverside.
“I think creating an environment where they can focus on school has been really helpful in creating a culture where he feels safe,” Kasper told IndyStar.
Harper said cultivating this culture of purpose and transparency with students is a big reason they have been so successful in implementing their cell phone policies.
“Students realize that we really mean what we say, and that is an important building block in building trust with students,” Harper said.
Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or [email protected]Follow her on Twitter (X): @CarolineB_Indy.
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