Florida teacher punished after signal-jamming his students’ cell phones By Trevor Mogg Published: 2015-06-05 · Archived: 2026-04-05 23:42:36 UTC 1. Home 2. Phones 3. Mobile 4. News Students are addicted to their smartphones as much as anyone else. That’s why a school district policy in Pasco County, Florida that orders students to keep their mobile devices switched off in class has little effect, a situation that persuaded one teacher there to take decisive action. Fed up with seeing everyone engrossed in their phones instead of in his lesson, science teacher Dean Liptak cranked up a cell phone jammer inside his classroom to effectively shut the devices down. The ploy worked – until Verizon turned up complaining that someone at the school was interfering with its network. Recommended Videos As Liptak and his jammer were correctly identified as the cause of the problem, Verizon pointed out that cell phones beyond the teacher’s classroom were also being affected by the jammer. While many people will no doubt have plenty of sympathy for a man simply attempting to impart knowledge to help his charges get ahead in life, Pasco County school district spokeswoman Linda Cobbe took a very different view of the teacher’s actions. “The consequences could have been dire if he was jamming the signal so that 911 calls couldn’t be made,” Cobbe told local news outlet WTSP. “It would affect an emergency in the school.” Suspension As a result of his action, Liptak has been suspended from work for a full five days, without pay. Liptak said he thought it was an offense to use a jammer only if it involved malicious intent. However, it’s since been brought to his attention that the devices are in fact illegal throughout the U.S.. On its website, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) spells it out: “We remind and warn consumers that it is a violation of federal law to use a cell jammer or similar devices that intentionally block, jam, or interfere with authorized radio communications such as cell phones, police radar, GPS, and Wi-Fi.” Last year the FCC hit Florida resident Jason Humphreys with a hefty fine after he was caught using a signal jammer from his car. Humphreys, who told cops he wanted to stop people from using their handsets while driving, https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/florida-teacher-punished-after-signal-jamming-his-students-cell-phones/ Page 1 of 4 had been using the device for around two years. At the time of his arrest, the agency pointed out that jammers could endanger life and property by preventing individuals from making emergency calls. As for Liptak’s school, perhaps it should consider imposing stricter rules when it comes to mobile devices. After all, a recent study published by the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics found that students at schools that have an outright ban in place achieve better academic results, a finding that probably won’t come as too much of a surprise. Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)… Phones Restaurants are forcing us to put phones away, and I’m not complaining Digital detox dining is reshaping social experiences in America A growing number of bars and restaurants across the United States are embracing a phone-free experience, reflecting a broader cultural shift toward reducing screen time and encouraging real-world connection. From https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/florida-teacher-punished-after-signal-jamming-his-students-cell-phones/ Page 2 of 4 upscale supper clubs to neighborhood cocktail bars, establishments are introducing policies that either restrict phone usage or actively incentivize guests to put their devices away. At the heart of this trend is a rising awareness of the negative effects smartphones and social media can have on attention, memory, and interpersonal relationships. Studies continue to highlight how constant digital engagement impacts learning, socialization, and even self-esteem. With Americans reportedly checking their phones around 144 times a day and spending nearly 4.5 hours on their devices, the pushback against screen dependency is gaining traction. Read more Phones Samsung just gave up on its own Messages app And yes, you’re switching to Google. Samsung is finally doing what it probably should’ve done years ago: killing its own Messages app. And while this might sound like just another app shutdown, this isn’t just a feature getting deprecated. It’s Samsung basically saying, “Yeah, just use Google’s app instead.” Samsung Messages is officially getting the boot Read more Phones Your Pixel 10 can now run Steam games offline (sort of) https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/florida-teacher-punished-after-signal-jamming-his-students-cell-phones/ Page 3 of 4 Steam games now run locally via GameNative. Smartphones pretending to be gaming machines isn’t new, but the Pixel 10 just did something that actually feels a bit wild. You can now run full-fledged Steam PC games on it. Offline. On a phone. And no, this isn’t cloud streaming or some remote desktop trick. This is proper local emulation, and for Pixel users, that’s a pretty big deal. Read more Source: https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/florida-teacher-punished-after-signal-jamming-his-students-cell-phones/ https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/florida-teacher-punished-after-signal-jamming-his-students-cell-phones/ Page 4 of 4