New York parents not so hot about school phone ban?
With the recent crackdown and enforcement of the school cellphone ban in NY, parents are fighting back with a measure to lift the ban, much to the chagrin of Schools Chancellor Joel Klein. A parents group has collected 1200 signatures and a city councilwoman plans to introduce a resolution next week to end the ban. Joel Klein is staunchly opposed, saying kids are text messaging, going on the Internet, cheating on tests and generally having way more fun than they should be having in school (we added that last bit). He's looking into solutions to block phone signals, remove batteries, or check phones in upon arrival to school, but everything proposed so far is too cost prohibitive. Parents would like their kids to have phones so they can track them on the way to and from school, as usual. Sounds like a good time is being had by all, and we're sure all differences will soon be put aside in order to do what's best for the kids.[Via The Wireless Report]
Filed under: Culture
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
some dude @ May 6th 2006 1:13AM
I've got a brilliant idea. How about having the teachers actually DO THEIR JOBS and discipline the students if they are using their phones during class?
The teacher's union really pisses me off sometimes...
Finished.Law.School @ May 6th 2006 4:48AM
Rather than worry about students with cell phones they should be concerned about the stupid people who get teaching jobs, the teacher unions who are increasingly picketing to do less work and the increased stupidity of the youth that is a result of these teacher unions.
craptacular @ May 6th 2006 9:58AM
who's that kid on the picture?
he looks like a malaysian.
TZK @ May 6th 2006 10:26AM
How about some of that cellphone jamming wallpaper in the classrooms? Not the hallways ;)
http://www.cellular.co.za/accessories/phone_blockers/new_electronic_wallpaper.htm
Kristen @ May 6th 2006 11:03AM
Maybe instead they should be worrying about the kids who bring weapons and drugs to school.
jay diaz @ May 6th 2006 5:55PM
awesome cell phone ban in all american public & private schools must be good law now in new york cause it is already banned in car's & mall's.
David Y. @ May 6th 2006 8:12PM
Also, the chancellor is not taking into consideration the fact that many of the 17 or 18 year old students in high school have jobs in which cell phones are essential.
ET @ May 6th 2006 8:34PM
>> I've got a brilliant idea. How about having the teachers actually DO THEIR JOBS and discipline the students if they are using their phones during class?
Easy to say, not so easy to do. Speaking from experience as both a note-passing, joke-making, comic-drawing student and as a teacher (of adults, no less), it's awfully hard to clamp down on something that's so easy to do surreptitiously. And when you end up spending too much time policing, it gets in the way of actually teaching and just makes everybody irritable.
Razib Ahmed @ May 7th 2006 4:45PM
The issue is here quality of education and the teachers are fighting on this issue because it is their job to train the students in the best way.
Well, Indian graduates are taking away a lot of outsourcing jobs and now even there is a possibility that UK Universtiies may send administrative workd and research works to India (http://www.southasiabiz.com/2006/05/outsourcing_to_india_now_uk_un.html).
I really think that USA should give importance to quality of education or else the future for AMericans will not be bright.
Harrison @ May 8th 2006 4:45AM
without a cellphone is like taking away a persons right to free speech. the kids need cell phones like college students need them, just put a bit more restrictive uses on them during class time, unlike college students who can just walk out for a call, have them turn off the cells while in instruction and penalize the child some points when they get caught using the phone for text and internet. Cheating should be a problem of the teachers not the parents. What a dumb issue, we got worried parents as it is, and wihtout a phone there would be no connection to the inside of a school if a collumbine were to happen again.
ender303 @ May 8th 2006 11:49AM
Maybe I'm going out on a limb, but isn't it the Teachers' job to teach school lessons, and the parents' job to teach social lessons to their children?
If you give your child a cell-phone, then you'd better teach them how to use it, and more importantly WHEN it is appropriate to use it.
Come on... there's more to being a parent than the birds and the bees!
Jaymez @ May 8th 2006 9:53PM
" many of the 17 or 18 year old students in high school have jobs in which cell phones are essential."
Umm, if they're at school, they should be focused on school, not on work.
If parents want their kids to have phones in school, get them those things Verizon has where you can program up to 4 numbers in them. Put home, mom & dad's work numbers, and grannie in there and that's it.
I say jam 'em. A kid shouldn't have a cell phone until he's old enough to sign the contract and pay the bill on his own.
The free speech claim is BS, too. We've already proven that free speech doesn't exist in schools.
m @ May 9th 2006 6:14PM
aww, look at that little chubby cutie muchkin with a nokia