I agree with the NY courts on this. Cell phones should NOT be allowed to be used during class. I don't think that students should have to turn their phones in every day, but it is what it is. Sadly, too many times the many will pay for the actions of the few.
The problem with phones in schools is not that people have a communication line to home or something like that. No. The problem is that cell phones are distracting. Most kids think that their cell phones are just toys and they sit and text about nothing, or they play cell phone games, or they are on the internet instead of paying attention to class. The truth is, students DO NOT need to have cell phones in school to funtion, live, or learn.
I have no problem with a kid having a phone in their pocket in case they need to call home, or in case someone is harassing them, but that never happens. If kids actually carried cell phones purely for this reason, they would NOT take them out unless they actually needed to call home, and this issue would never have gone to court.
And to clarify one last issue I have regarding cell phones: There is no such law, amendmant or any other legal document that says that Americans have a right to carry cell phones. That is why it is legal for government buildings, hospitals, or any public place for that matter to prohibit the use of cell phones on their property. If I use my cell phone at a hospital, and security wants to confinscate it until I leave, there is no law that says they cannot take my phone.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jason Peterson @ Apr 27th 2008 12:32PM
I agree with the NY courts on this. Cell phones should NOT be allowed to be used during class. I don't think that students should have to turn their phones in every day, but it is what it is. Sadly, too many times the many will pay for the actions of the few.
The problem with phones in schools is not that people have a communication line to home or something like that. No. The problem is that cell phones are distracting. Most kids think that their cell phones are just toys and they sit and text about nothing, or they play cell phone games, or they are on the internet instead of paying attention to class. The truth is, students DO NOT need to have cell phones in school to funtion, live, or learn.
I have no problem with a kid having a phone in their pocket in case they need to call home, or in case someone is harassing them, but that never happens. If kids actually carried cell phones purely for this reason, they would NOT take them out unless they actually needed to call home, and this issue would never have gone to court.
And to clarify one last issue I have regarding cell phones: There is no such law, amendmant or any other legal document that says that Americans have a right to carry cell phones. That is why it is legal for government buildings, hospitals, or any public place for that matter to prohibit the use of cell phones on their property. If I use my cell phone at a hospital, and security wants to confinscate it until I leave, there is no law that says they cannot take my phone.