Need opinions on cell phones in schools

[UncleJak]

My son is starting middle school this year and they have a "no cell phone"policy. I believe a cell phone can be a powerful tool in an emergency. He has carried his phone, turned off, in his pack for 2 years and never once gotten in trouble for misuse. If he had it out using it, I would understand taking them up. BUT I am talking about EMERGENCY USE ONLY by responsible students. I am going to address the school director on this and need a strong argument.

[Jonnin]

Turned off is acceptable to me. But if a teacher sees it in use, the teacher should now own it.

Edited August 1, 2012 by Jonnin

[buck1032]

My son is starting 1st grade next week and his school has a no cell phone policy. Granted I only glazed over that rule as it doesnt pertain to my son as he doesnt have a cell yet. It does raise a good question in the later years and I will have to revisist the rules.

[Sam1]

Shouldn't be allowed, safety is used as an excuse for too many things these days. Carrying a first aid pack and pepper spray would be a better bet than having a cellphone, and I'm sure he doesn't carry or want to carry either of those

Edited August 1, 2012 by Sam1

[101]

My son is 12 and a half. My wife and I have decided that he is going to grow up like us. No cell phone until he gets a job and pays for the entire bill himself (and car insurance too). If his behavior goes south, regardless of him paying for it, he will lose that privilege.

So, no job, no phone. We are pretty old fashioned in my household. Cell phone is a no no but guns and slingshots are ok.

[AU_88]

The problem with schools in the U.S. is that they take responsibility away from the students, and then when they get to college they have free reign over what to do and what not to do. I see this as a major problem with schools telling students what they can wear and what they can do. Also, why shouldn't a student be able to use their phone in between class or at lunch, as long as they are not late or causing a major disruption (who do they have to talk to though, simce most of their friends are in school as well). I see no problems with a student carrying a phone in their backpack as long as it does not cause a disruption to the learning environment. You have 7 years to teach your child that when it is learning time it is learning time, otherwise when they get to college they will be sitting in an auditorium with 300 other students and a professor who doesn't care whether or not they are on their cell phone on facebook or furthermore whether they pass or fail the class.

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

Given that there are school shootings, yes..I am for cellphones in school.. with certain ruls in place.. turned off and only on in recess unless emergencies..

[pcrc11]

I graduated high school in 1985. No cell phones back then. I am just wondering what we did when we had an emergency. I guess there were no emergencies before cell phones were invented. I also think they should not be allowed at work unless you are using for work related calls. Nothing that I have seen in the last 25 years has led to more unproductivity and lack of respect for the workplace than cell phone usage and texting.

[vontar]

Given that there are school shootings, yes..I am for cellphones in school.. with certain ruls in place.. turned off and only on in recess unless emergencies..

I am ok with them turned off, even on recess. But I don't believe schools should be able to dictate that they cannot have a cell phone on their person so that they can have them for emergencies.

[AU_88]

I am ok with them turned off, even on recess. But I don't believe schools should be able to dictate that they cannot have a cell phone on their person so that they can have them for emergencies.

Amen.

[101]

I graduated high school in 1985. No cell phones back then. I am just wondering what we did when we had an emergency. I guess there were no emergencies before cell phones were invented. I also think they should not be allowed at work unless you are using for work related calls. Nothing that I have seen in the last 25 years has led to more unproductivity and lack of respect for the workplace than cell phone usage and texting.

I agree with you 100%. My co-workers have children that have cell phones and are constantly getting in trouble for it while in school. I understand personal responsibility on behalf of the child and all that but the parents are not good examples themselves and are not holding their children to a higher standard or consequence. I get tired of hearing them complain on and on about "Suzi and her phone this or Jimmy and his phone that"... I'm thinking grow a pair and take that thing and throw it in the toilet!! They retort with the usual response of "emergency this and what if that" and I say remember when you were a child? You didn't have a phone and you managed to make it to adulthood.

Back then, parents use to talk to their children and have game plans and meeting places and code phrases for emergencies and children knew who to go to and how to get there. They were given curfews and guidelines and were trusted to follow them. When my son goes outside to play he knows the boundaries, he knows the rules and he knows when to be home. We don't say "go out and do whatever and I'll call you to find out where you are or who you’re with or when I want you to be home". That information was well know ahead of time. I think cell phones in the hands of children is an example of lazy parenting and lack of trust in your child. Bad things happen, they always have. There has been mass shootings (killings, disasters, etc.) and terrible turmoil all throughout history and yet we persevere. It wasn't until information could be easily disseminated that we really knew what was going on in the world. Your child will make it or they will not (only God knows that), but I think a good lesson that needs learned in life is being able to handle yourself and the situations you encounter without being able to call mommy at the first sign of trouble or indecision.

[c.a.willard]

I think that schools should only have the right to limit things that either pose a serious safety risk or adversely effect the learning environment. A phone turned off in your bag impacts neither. It's also an opportunity for your child to practice good decision making abilities and responsibility for its use. IMO this rule takes away individual responsibility for ones actions. It is also very likely to be a rule that will be disregarded by the students who are more likely to be disruptive with their phone use. In essence it is a rule that is resulting in very little to no tangible improvements in the learning environment, while hindering the process of improving decision making abilities and character growth of the children learning there.

[Guest bkelm18]

And just how many students do you think would follow this "It's ok to have them as long as they are off" policy? I'm a college student. There are no official bans on cell phones in the classroom but most professors ban them during lecture. I've lost count of the dozens of students who just sit there and text and not listen to a thing the professor says. It distracts everyone. Just because the school would allow cell phones if they were turned off doesn't mean they will be turned off. A kid doesn't need a phone in class. What are they gonna do in an emergency? What could they do that an adult couldn't? If somebody comes in shooting, every adult in earshot will be calling 911. Leave the phones at home. Kids grew up just fine without them for thousands of years.

[c.a.willard]

Bkelm, not saying its a guarantee but maybe if those other people in your class learned in middle school how to make better decisions regarding using their phone it wouldn't be distracting from your studies.

[TMF]

Let 'em have them. If they use them during class it is on the teacher to enforce the rules. When I was a kid we passed notes; got in trouble when we got caught. Yeah, we didn't have cell phones when we were kids and somehow we survived. However, I endorse every tool at my disposal to keep my kids safe within reason. Having a turned off cell phone is not unreasonable, as it has a negative effect on nobody. I'm not overly concerned about my child needing it in school, but more concerned about when they walk home from the bus stop. Kids get snatched up all the time. I might sound crazy, but I plan on having an on demand global tracking device sewn into my kids' backpack. Crazy? Maybe, but gone are the days where you could feel safe about your kids when they're out of your sight.

[UncleJak]

Thanks for all the responses so far! It seems several people feel as I do. My son is 11, has two jobs (mowing yards and detailing cars), and is way more responsible than I ever was at 11. I want to give him every tool available to survive an emergency. I plan on addressing the director of schools, but I must be prepared for him. He has a reputation of throwing his doctorate degree around attempting to appear smarter than any concerned parent. I don't know if he is really like that or if the people I have heard this from are biased, but I willl be ready just in case.

[LagerHead]

My daughter just graduated high school in May and she has had a cell phone for several years and taken it to school. She only got in trouble once and that wasn't for using it but leaving it on and it vibrated during class while in her backpack. My feeling about this is the same as about guns in parking lots: It's none of their business. And as far as the school confiscating property, they can do that as soon as they pay for it, provided I have offered it up for sale. Until then they can keep their damn dirty hands off of property that I pay for.

[RobertNashville]

When I was in school, the only "cell phones" we knew about was Dick Tracy's wrist watch and Captain Kirk's communicator...now our kids have them 24/7.

Overall, I think being able to instantly communicate to you child or he with you is a good thing; I just have to sit back and reflect sometimes.

[macville]

This really is absurd when you consider education is all about keeping kids safe. Kids should have to keep them off and packed away unless a school emergency happens (shooter, fight, etc.) Another options would to be give your child a cell phone that is not activated as it can still be used to dial 911. How many of us have old cell phones that would still be good for that? I'd say most.

[JAB]

I graduated high school in 1985. No cell phones back then. I am just wondering what we did when we had an emergency. I guess there were no emergencies before cell phones were invented.

I graduated in 1989 and had no cell phone. In fact, I didn't even have a phone in my room. You'd probably only have to go back a few generations before there were no phones private residences. You know, come to think of it, I say no one needs 911 for emergencies because there was a time when there was no 911 and people got by. In fact, people survived during a time when there were no telephones, at all. So if there is an emergency then someone should just jump on a horse and ride on over to fetch the Doc. Better yet, just run and grab the witch doctor because there was a time before domesticated horses and scientifically trained medical practitioners, too.

My point is, while the human race as a whole may have survived without certain technological advances - like cell phones - automobiles - fire - that is no reason to shun those advances once they exist. In fact, for certain applications, those advances might even make things 'better'.

Edited August 2, 2012 by JAB

[RobertNashville]

My point is, while the human race as a whole may have survived without certain technological advances - like cell phones - automobiles - fire - that is no reason to shun those advances once they exist. In fact, for certain applications, those advances might even make things 'better'.

I agree and I didn't say otherwise...I was just making an observation about how rapidly things have changed.

[tnhawk]

Unless a student shows a disregard for the rules on using a cell phone in class, they should be allowed to have them in their possession. I can remember when most students had knives in school, but they didn't cause any accidents or misuse.

[Guest uofmeet]

I will just make my kid get his tech license and have him carry a ham radio around with him.

[Guest db99wj]

Older students yes, no tolerance if rules are broken. As far as emergencies are concerned, I don't worry about a shooting, I'm more worried about severe weather, even though both occurrences are statistically low that they would happen to you. I also like my oldest, 13, to have hers, since she does stuff after school, whether it is sports, extra studying, working on a project at a friends house, so I want her to have it then. If she can't bring it to school, then she doesn't have it then either.

[JAB]

I agree and I didn't say otherwise...I was just making an observation about how rapidly things have changed.

I was offering a counterpoint to a post by pcrc11, not yours. Sorry for any confusion.

No doubt things have changed rapidly.

Edited August 2, 2012 by JAB