ST. TAMMANY PARISH -- Julie Dixon has a 13-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son in the St. Tammany Parish School System. For her, keeping tabs on their whereabouts is so important, especially given the shootings that have taken place across our country over the past few years.
"I'm pretty confident that our kids are safe at school, but that extra knowledge that they have a device that we can get in contact with them makes it so much easier," Dixon said.
It's the reason why she believes Superintendent Trey Folse's push to allow students to use their cell phones for emergencies is a positive move.
"I think it's a great idea. The kids come off the school buses. Sometimes we're in rural areas. They have access to if something goes wrong they can have a phone call to home," Dixon said.
Victor Fernandez Jr. is going into his junior year, and even though he attends a private school, as a student, he supports what the district is doing.
"If there's an emergency, the first person I want to call is like my dad or my mom or just someone I know," Fernandez said.
The Electronic Device Policy passed in committee last week goes to the full board for a vote this Thursday.
"We've worked with principals on this and we've worked with my advisory panel as well as others, so we think this is a policy..certainly a starting point and subject to tweaking through the years through technology and education," Superintendent Trey Folse III said.
Before passing the vote, there were a few questions from Board Member Mary Bellisario about how strict the rules would be carried out.
"One of the things I hear from teachers most about, is the difficulty of trying to control students who want to sneak the cell phone out and go on social media and use it somehow in the classroom. And, I hope that if we change to this wording, it won't make the matters worse," Bellisario said.
Dixon says as long as children are monitored properly and follow the rules, it's one step closer to helping put her at ease.
"I feel confident in our leaders who are making the decisions that it's one that's best for the children," Dixon said.
The board meeting will take place Thursday, July 19 at 7:00 p.m. at the C. J. Schoen Admin Complex, 321 N. Theard St., Covington.
Caresse Jackman can be reached at cjackman@wwltv.com.