GREECE, N.Y. (WROC) — Before the end of this school year, two schools in the Greece Central School District will install new technology designed to detect both weapons and cell phones as students enter the building. Cell phone use by students is currently banned in Greece schools. District l eaders say they will soon reveal the type of technology and the schools that will receive it, but they did tell News 8 it will go into two secondary schools before the school year is out and two more next fall. The tech will arrive more than two years after the district instituted their pouch policy where students place their cell phones into a lockable pouch at the start of the day then take it out after final bell. Greece Deputy Superintendent Marc Fleming says the new detection system will complement the pouches in that it will prevent students from sneaking in cell phones, which has been a problem, he says, in some schools that have not been rigorous in their implementation of the policy. In those schools, Fleming says, they have continued to struggle with the kind of issues that encouraged the district to enact their cell phone ban in the first place. “You see issues around academic performance, issues around student conflict, so for us it’s clear that when students can focus in on their work, focus in on those human interactions and are not distracted by devices that designed to get your attention, it just improves the climate and culture of the school and benefits the individual students,” Fleming said. That improved climate and culture, Fleming says, has been noted in schools that have successfully carried out the pouch policy. To Fleming, that’s proof this new detection technology will improve the student experience by further preventing cell phone use during the day. “It’s not a perfect system, we can’t make any guarantees, but we think it’s a nice layer to ensure that we are doing all we can to keep students safe,” Fleming said. This move comes as state lawmakers consider banning cell phone use in all school districts across the state. “It is validating to know there are conversations around the state,” Fleming said. “An environment where cell phones are present, it creates an unhealthy environment, a distraction to students, so it certainly does validate that work.” Fleming says landline phones will remain available in every classroom should a student need to call out quickly. He adds given that many students and parents came to appreciate the cell phone ban, he’s hoping they will also see the benefit to the new detection system. “We recognize we live in a digital world, we want students to know how to navigate that, but we also recognize that as teachers and educators we have a job to do. We want to make sure that students are focused on their lessons and focused on their instruction and we can’t be creating conditions where their mental health is compromised within the hallways and the classrooms of our schools so it really is a multi-pronged approach to provide the best experience for our students and our families,” Fleming said. Fleming said the district also offers digital awareness programs and counseling services to students. News 8 will follow this story and report on what the new technology will look like and how it will work when that information is made available. ...read more read less