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Principal Will Pay Students $100 Apiece to Keep Off Their Phones

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It’s time to unplug.

That’s the message one Washington, D.C. principal has for her students.

Washington Latin Public Charter School principal Diana Smith will pay students $100 — out of her own wallet — if students heading into eighth and ninth grade manage to stay off electronic devices one day a week for the entirety of summer break.

We’re not talking just phones and tablets, either. Smith wants students to avoid games, TV and anything else with a screen for the 11 Tuesdays her school has off before returning in the fall.

Like many people, Smith is leery of all the screen time youngsters get these days. “Kids have these phones under their pillows at night — they’re going to bed, they’re texting each other at 3, 4 in the morning,” she said.

The big question, though, is how do kids prove they avoided the electronics so they can collect their money? They must have two adult witnesses sign letters on their behalf.

Smith had better start saving. There are 160 students who can take her up on the offer, which means she could be out $16,000. And that means she’ll need some serious screen time to scour job sites to find work to help pay off her debts.

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