Teacher Suspended After Using Cellular Jammer In Class

Anyone who has worked in education since mobile phones and smartphones have become so common knows that it is very hard to keep students off the devices during class. Students have become very adept at using devices without teacher knowledge. A teacher at a high school in Pasco County Florida has found himself in hot water with the district and parents after taking matters into his own hands to stop smartphone use in class.

The teacher, Dean Liptak, fired up a cell phone jammer in his classroom at Fivay High School in Hudson. The jammer prevented students from reaching the Verizon cellular tower on the campus. Liptak landed himself a five-day suspension without pay as a result of his actions.

Teachers and parents were concerned because the cellular jammer would have prevented students from reaching out to authorities in the event of an attack by a gunman or other emergency. Liptak said he thought the jammer would only affect students in his classroom and only wanted the kids to put down the phones and pay attention.

Apparently, the school found out about the jamming when Verizon employees showed up at the campus saying someone there had a jammer because service was interrupted in the area. Unfortunately, for Liptak, this was not his first issue with the district. He had made a test with violent questions in the past that landed him in hot water so the school chose to suspend the teacher this time. Verizon has chosen not to seek legal action against Liptak in the incident.

SOURCE: WTSP