Florida teacher suspended without pay for using cell phone jammer in class

A Florida high school teacher was suspended without pay for keeping a signal jammer in his class to prevent students from using their cell phones.

Science teacher Dean Liptak allegedly used the device between March 31 and April 2 and was discovered by Verizon when it noticed a blockage on the cell tower located on campus, according to Ars Technica.

Liptak's superintendent, Kurt Browning, said the teacher used “poor judgment” and “posed a serious risk to critical safety communications, as well as the possibility of preventing others from making 9-1-1 calls.”

Liptak, however, said he only used the device to keep students “academically focused.” He argued that it was unproductive to confiscate cell phones until the end of a class period and also caused disruptions to the class when he had to stop and tell students to put their phones away.