Should school kids be allowed to have cell phones in school?

[Andy9o8 0]

New York City's public school system has banned kids from having cell phones in school, saying they're a distraction from lessons, are used to arrange gang meet-ups, and have become the most stolen item in school.

Parents are in an uproar, saying cell phones are needed to keep in touch with kids to make sure they're ok, meet up with them following after-school activities, and assist in case of 9/11 events. I remember that students' cell phones probably saved some lives during the Columbine shootings.

The mayor and school district administration are holding firm; while the parents are threatening to take action.

Where do you stand?

[BIGUN 1,095]

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...banned kids from having cell phones in school, saying they're a distraction from lessons...

No vote. I don't think they should be banned from school. However, I do think they should be turned off during class. Perhaps that is the line of demarcation.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[shropshire 0]

Having them isn't the problem.... using them inappropriately is.
They're a great safety tool.. so kids should have one in the bag but Swithed Off.

.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Andy9o8 0]

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No vote. I don't think they should be banned from school. However, I do think they should be turned off during class. Perhaps that is the line of demarcation.

See, by my thinking that should be a yes vote - yes, they should be allowed them, but they must have them off during school hours. (That's why my kids' school does.)

No more research grants for you.

[Andy9o8 0]

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Having them isn't the problem.... using them inappropriately is.
They're a great safety tool.. so kids should have one in the bag but Swithed Off..

Agreed. I feel very strongly that they're a valuable safety device - so much so that when our school district was debating the issue I decided that if they banned them, I'd just get my kid a razor phone and build a secret compartment at the bottom of her purse.
We have 2 teenage daughters. Having them incommunicado in case of an emergency, or stranding somewhere, or illness, etc is simply not an option.

[Gravitymaster 0]

How in the world did parents and children manage to survive in the days before cell phones?

Requiring them to be turned off during classes seems a more reasonable approach.

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[likearock 1]

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...banned kids from having cell phones in school, saying they're a distraction from lessons...

No vote. I don't think they should be banned from school. However, I do think they should be turned off during class. Perhaps that is the line of demarcation.

How would you enforce that? Seems like a rule a lot of kids would try to get around.

[BIGUN 1,095]

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See, by my thinking that should be a yes vote - yes, they should be allowed them, but they must have them off during school hours.

OK. I voted "Other" and explained. The question was; "Should school kids be allowed to have cell phones in school?" In my mind; Yes, but... or No, but... = Other.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[BIGUN 1,095]

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How would you enforce that?

I enforced it fine when I was teaching college. No cell phone use allowed during class for any reason. If you're playing with your phone, you will be asked to leave the class and get an absence for the day. In each class, X number of absences = loss of a letter grade.

Do the same thing while teaching the first jump course. Performance-oriented training demands undivided attention. External forces that intrudes on yours or another student's learning is not allowed.

Course, I'm a hard-ass when it comes to training and that's no longer politically correct.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[miked10270 0]

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How in the world did parents and children manage to survive in the days before cell phones?

A: By the school phoning the parents, or the parents phoning the school if it was sufficiently important!

Surely if your kid's in school, then the school itself is the appropriate point of contact.

Would you (as a parent) ever consider just walking unannounced into the middle of your kids class to tell them something?.. Or would you leave word at the school office?

I honestly CAN'T imagine ANY situation where direct contact with one of my kids when they're in school isn't better served by contacting the school itself for a message to be passed on.

Same with a kid wanting to contact you! IF it's that important, then your kid can get the school office to phone, can't they?

ANdD... As for the "9/11-Argument"...... IF your office has just been hit by a plane, then you're either in no position to call, or you're able to call the school. IF your kids school is hit by a plane, then either your kid's phone is switched off for lessons, so you can't get through, or your kids phone isn't working any more! SURELY you'd be phoning the school or Education agency for information, NOT your kid, who's probably left his phone in the schoolbag left behind in class during the evac!

Finally, while your kid's in school, and they're then responsible for your kid, then shouldn't you give them their place? Would you, for example, tolerate the school phoning your kid direct at home without you rpermission / knowedge and not keeping you informed?

Mike.

Taking the piss out of the FrenchAmericans since before it was fashionable.

Prenait la pisse hors du FrançaisCanadiens méridionaux puisqu'avant lui à la mode.

[Richards 0]

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Having them isn't the problem.... using them inappropriately is.
They're a great safety tool.. so kids should have one in the bag but Swithed Off.

That is fine in theory but how do you make them switch them off. I know from countless personal experiences that you can request it until you are blue in the face yet you will still hear cellphones going off endlessly. If they allow for an instructor to remove a student from the class if his/her cellphone goes off in class then fine, but there is no "or else" with any real teeth when it comes to demanding that they make the effort to turn it off, then you may as well not waste the effort asking them to do so.

Students do not require a cellphone.

Richards

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

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[shropshire 0]

<> - same way as you make kids do anything as an adult...... beat the living shite out of them.

Seriously, this rule is no different from any other rule... they need to know where the boundaries are for any situation and that any rule infraction will result in 1 warning only then instant consequences...(easy for me, I dont have kids)... no pussy-footing around, no wait till your father gets home, kind of stuff... Do it now or give up and go home. - simple eh?

.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[wmw999 2,166]

The up-front time it would take would make the first month pretty useless for teaching class. But after enforcing the rule for awhile, with a basket for offending phones (retrieve at the end of class or the school day), kids would begin to straighten up.

And then only the particularly sneaky would get away with it.

Banning cell phones during major tests is a great idea.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[shropshire 0]

Of course, the other way is to make the use of the mobiles technically impossible in class, by using Frequency Selective Wallpaper ..clicky... but beating them is more fun

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[Nightingale 0]

If you make mom/dad come in to pick up the phone if it gets taken away, the inconvenience of it may get the parents on the kids case to keep the phone off.

[FallinWoman 1]

As a teacher, this is a battle I fight every day. The rule is that if I hear it or see it, I take it and it goes to the administrator. The admin then returns it at the end of the day. The second time the admin makes a parent come get it.
I have learned to tell when a student is text messaging during class. I make my girls put their purses on the floor (otherwise they put their hands in their purse and text!).
I wish that parents would look at when their kids are calling and texting and take the phone away if it is during school hours.

~Anne

I'm a Doll!!!!

[Scoop 0]

Children do not need phones. They are not in a position where it is important they can be contactable. Urgent messages, such as bad news if there has been an accident can be relayed via the school. Whats wrong with just organising your day before sending the kids off. Like for example "don't forget we are going shopping after school, I will pick you up so don't catch the bus". If your child is that thick to forget in the duration of 6 or 7 hours at school then thats their problem.

I love the idea of that frequency selective wallpaper. I would buy that and line my house with it!

[Andy9o8 0]

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I wish that parents would look at when their kids are calling and texting and take the phone away if it is during school hours.

That's a pretty good idea; and I also agree with a "phones off; purses & bags on floor" policy during the school day.

My wife and I both work, and not just around the corner from the schools, either. And both kids have a lot of after-school activities. All 4 of us having cell phones has been invaluable to coordinating who's going to pick up whom, and when, or who's getting a last-minute ride with this parent or that schoolmate.

And even forgetting 9/11-type disasters, I still can't get out of my head the fact that those Columbine kids who had cell phones almost certainly saved some lives by calling for help while they were hiding under their desks. I guess I figure a lone crazy kid or intruder with a weapon can happen at any high school.

Anyhow, that's my thinking; and although I acknowledge the reasons for No votes as perfectly valid, that's why - on balance - I'm mostly in the Yes category.

[Andy9o8 0]

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Children do not need phones. They are not in a position where it is important they can be contactable.

Some day when you have teenage kids of your own you may feel differently. Incidentally I'm referring more to high school teenagers than small children. Anyhow, being a parent oneself often does a lot to adjust one's views about this sort of thing.

[niolosoiale 0]

I think the potential benefits far outweigh the consistent negatives.

First of all, kids in elementary/middle school will not be going anywhere but the school. So you know where they are. However, in high school, kids are much more mobile. Off-campus lunches, friends with cars, etc., mean kids are not at school 100% of the time school is in session. So what if your kid is on their way to/from lunch and there is an emergency? Ya think McDonald's is gonna just let you use their phone? Unlikely. Is it logical to have them wait until they get back to school to have to wait their turn to use the school phone? Not really.

The point is, during any given day in high school, something can go horribly wrong. There are a lot of what-if situations that are very likely, where using the school to get in contact isn't very rational or practical.

This doesn't mean they need to be on in class, and the work required to make sure the students don't use them is a manageable task that may never pay off in five years, but be invaluable that one day.

But during the elementary through middle school years, the kids aren't really going to be go anywhere practically. In high school, it is definitely worth while to at least allow them access to one in an emergency.

Also remember this, during an emergency, you're going to have just as many parents as there are kids contacting the school to check on their kids. TOTALLY impractical if it can be avoided. Better to facilitate a way in which a direct line of communication can be established easily.

Again, the day to day maintenance in keeping them away from using their phones unnecessarily would be worth that one time when it was truly an emergency.

[Richards 0]

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Seriously, this rule is no different from any other rule... they need to know where the boundaries are for any situation and that any rule infraction will result in 1 warning only then instant consequences...

I agree with the sentiment but unfortunately that sort of thing is almost unenforcable these days. Try to take a cell-phone from a student today. They will refuse to give it up. If you ask them to leave they will put in a complaint, and administration will "request" that you take a more moderate aproach to enforcement. Subsequently the student will win this battle.They can play dumb "I thought I turned it off" and you cannot prove they didn't and therefore you will be forced to give them 8 million second chances and eventually give up trying. It has gotten to the point where many people have given up and try to continue lecturing while a student actually holds a conversation.

Richards

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

[Richards 0]

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But after enforcing the rule for awhile, with a basket for offending phones (retrieve at the end of class or the school day), kids would begin to straighten up.

No, they will simply complain that you are "violating their rights" by taking their personal property, and someone in the system will agree with them and tell you that you cannot touch student property.Then the students will use them deliberately to piss you off because "they know their rights".

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Banning cell phones during major tests is a great idea.

With silent ringing and text messaging this is a must.

Richards

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

[Richards 0]

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If you make mom/dad come in to pick up the phone if it gets taken away, the inconvenience of it may get the parents on the kids case to keep the phone off.

That may have been the case when you were a student but todays parents will get pissed off at the teacher and complain about him/her until the Dean/Principle tells the instructor that he or she cannot do that.

Richards

My biggest handicap is that sometimes the hole in the front of my head operates a tad bit faster than the grey matter contained within.

[Scoop 0]

People managed to organise their lives just fine before we had mobile phones, being in contact with someone at any moment has its benefits and I can see why a parent might like the idea.

However, the most important point is... ITS FUCKING ANNOYING!

Young kids on mobile phones frying their brains worries me a little. The internet, mobile phones and other items ruin peoples ability to interact normally in my opinion. I'm sort of guilty for it too. I can chat to my mates on MSN or via text where I may have gone round their house to talk bollocks and catch up instead.

Plus, I use my phone while I'm working and alot of the other guys do too. Do you realise how much time must be lost to industry and education by distraction of mobile phones or I don't know.... say people going on online forums fromwork computers

[masterrig 1]

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If you make mom/dad come in to pick up the phone if it gets taken away, the inconvenience of it may get the parents on the kids case to keep the phone off.

That may have been the case when you were a student but todays parents will get pissed off at the teacher and complain about him/her until the Dean/Principle tells the instructor that he or she cannot do that.

Richards

__________________________________________

Ain't that the truth! I thought, the idea of school, was to 'learn' something. Not beat your gums on the cell-phone all day... which is just what a kid will do. To not up-set the 'apple cart', the school takes the parent's side.


Chuck