In his own words, Florida teacher Den Liptak simply wanted to do something to prevent his students from getting distracted by their cell phones.
His solution was perhaps a little serious.
This week it turned out that Mr. Liptak had been suspended without pay for five days after officials were told that the teacher had bought a cell phone jammer, rendering his students’ devices unusable.
Mr. Liptak, who teaches science at Fivay High School, believed that his actions would benefit the youngsters because they could better focus on the classes he was teaching.
“I wanted to fix the cell phone problem in my class,” he told an investigator.
However, according to a Tampa Bay Times report, school officials were not impressed.
“Their actions have not only potentially violated federal law, but also seriously compromised critical security communications and prevented others from making 9-1-1 calls,” wrote Superintendent Kurt Browning in a letter telling Liptak about his suspension informed.
The disciplinary action also involved referral and agreement on the last chance. Any future similarly poor judgment could lead to a recommendation to dismiss, Browning wrote.
Previously, Mr. Liptak received a warning in 2013 for using a worksheet with “inappropriate content”. Mr. Liptak did not contest the suspension.