HISD superintendent reportedly threatens to suspend Madison HS students protesting cellphone policy
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Anger over a new cellphone policy at Madison High School caused some students to walk off campus in protest this week, and now, those students may face consequences.
Cellphones are now prohibited from campus after a series of fights that administrators say were caused by content being shared on students' phones.
According to our partners at the Houston Chronicle, Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles is threatening serious consequences for students who choose not to show up to class.
At Thursday night's board meeting, he reportedly said school suspensions are now on the table as punishment.
Monday was the start of a new restrictive policy regarding student phones. They must be turned into the front office, cannot be used during lunch, and then retrieved after school.
The school was already in the headlines all year, but this week alone, there were multiple fights, a school lockdown, and now, the new phone policy.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Fights prompt Madison HS lockdown and subsequent cellphone ban on campus for students, HISD says
District officials are blaming recent fights on cellphone videos being shared by students.
The district says their policy prohibits cellphone use in school buildings, and says the recent fights endanger the safety of students and staff -- so, something had to be done.
Students initially told ABC13 that they were being patted down at the door if they said they did not have a phone, but that's no longer happening.
"(At) 7 a.m., we walk in. They are immediately telling us to put our phones up. They're not saying, 'Good morning,' or nothing. Why do we want to be introduced with that?" student Jessica Santamaria said.
Students said in addition to strictly-timed classes under the New Education System (NES), they feel distracted all day -- but it has nothing to do with their phones.
SEE ALSO: Madison HS walkout on Thursday was about more than new cellphone policy, students say
"I don't even feel safe. I really do want to have a good education. I'm a senior, I'm ready to go. I'm ready to go, and they're making this really hard for us," student Madison Rittenhouse said.
State education leaders said it comes down to creating a learning environment.
"Instructionally, you have to create a learning environment that allows students to focus. You have to set up the students to be successful in that way," Mike Morath, Texas Education Agency commissioner, said.
Some students who spoke to ABC13 raised a red flag about the new policy
"If my phone is in the office and someone decides they've had enough and they come and shoot the school up and my phone is in the office with you guys, so I can't contact my mother, I cannot get home. I cannot see who is going to take me home," one student told ABC13.
"I have a friend. Her mom ended up in the hospital, and they were calling her and calling her, but since the school (has) her phone on Thursday, she couldn't get in touch with her until after the fact," honors student Tyvion Scott said.
Hundreds of students chose to walk out on Thursday. ABC13 is keeping an eye on this story to see what happens now that Miles has made it clear there will be consequences.
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