Beginning with the 2022-23 school year, the Keytesville R-3 School District will be adjusting its procedures at Keytesville High School on a permanent basis.

According to a release from Keytesville High School Principal Dan Kruse, students will be asked to either not bring their phones to school or to put them in their locker until the day is over. This will include smart watches that connect to their phones or any other electronic device they bring that connects to the Internet. As always, if student-parent contact is needed, you may call the office.

This change is due to many factors, a few of which are:

1. Students taking videos and pictures of other students in the bathroom and posting on social media.

2. Students making audio recordings of test reviews and listening to them while taking a test.

3. Students using their phones while in locker rooms.

4. Pictures being taken of other students in the classroom without permission and posted to social media.

5. Making videos and posting on TikTok.

6. Large amounts of classroom distractions using devices.

As always, district officials say they feel that the best way to contact your child during the school day is to call the office for any types of messages or changes to their normal bus/pick-up routine. The district also encourages parents or guardians to continue this practice and to not rely on messaging your child.

Should the need arise in an emergency where students need to contact parents (game changes, school early dismissal, etc.) time will be allotted for them to do so.

Student devices will be placed in lockers or they may choose to not bring them at all. Any student who violates this new procedure will have their phone taken, and a parent or guardian will be required to pick it up. A second offense will result in two days of out-of-school suspension.