Niagara Falls City School District allowing cell phone use

The Niagara Falls City School District will be allowing cell phones in classrooms after a change was made to the code of conduct. 

The decision came after Superintendent Mark Laurrie noticed how much students were using their phones. He believes that allowing them to be used as a tool instead of banning them will actually be productive for the students. 

"They're going to be in existence so we better use them to help with students learning."

The phone policy will operate similar to a stoplight with the colors green, yellow and red representing how the phones can be used. 

GREEN: Students are allowed to use their phones (this will be in a lunch room or more casual setting). 

YELLOW: It is up to the teacher to decide whether they can use their phones (during a lesson, or for an assignment). 

RED: Absolutely no cell phone usage (during an assembly or testing). 

Laurrie believes that allowing the use of cell phones for educational purposes will be beneficial not just for the students today, but for the future as well. 

"If you're going for a job, paper and pencil type activities aren't what your employers are looking for. They're looking to see how fast you can access information."