Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Rene Wilson, Richfield, North Carolina — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:55:54 GMT

I had no idea that I would have such a strong opinion about 'Should Your Kid Have a Cell Phone at School?' Being the mother of a 5 month old, I'm always conscious of how the present may have an effect on my child in the future. I do realize the dangers of today's world, but believe children should not have access to a cell phone during class time. This is an added distraction to the already distracted. Instead of making the schools try to fight yet another battle, why not lobby the cell phone companies? With today’s technology, cell phone companies should be able to include a ‘Parental Program’ on each phone. It could allow parents to enter the emergency phone numbers necessary (i.e. 911, Mom, Dad, Parental Guardian, etc), but block all other numbers until a programmed time (i.e. Final school bell). This would give students the security lines needed, but hinder all possibilities of electronic test answers and conversations during school hours. For schools, children can leave the phone in their locker until the end of the day, and won’t care about having to do so. The only trouble I see with this solution is the protection you’ll have to wear in halls at final bell from the sea of texting kids.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Connie, Iuka, MS — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:13:14 GMT

Our school board adopted a policy last year, that if a student is caught with a cell phone on the school premises, that phone is taken up. Only a parent can pick up that phone. If a student is caught a 2nd time, the phone is removed, and only a parent can pick up the phone, but it will cost $20 to get the phone this time, and everytime thereafter if the student continues to carry the phone. As a parent of 2 teenagers I told them to leave their phones in their cars. If they need me during the day, there are phones in the office, or the school will contact me in case of an emergency. I grew up with "land lines" and still use them. I feel better when they are driving that they have their phones. (in case of an emergency) I don't want them "chatting" on their phones while driving, but I want them to have their phones if they need me. I can say that our school policy has worked especially with my two teenagers. They know that if they get theirs taken up, they have lost them, and I will not pay a monthly cell phone bill for a phone that is laying in a drawer of the principal's desk.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

John Doe Seattle Wash — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:22:43 GMT

You must be kidding me when you suggest that life ends for children when they lose the ability to use a cell phone to change plans, protect themselves from danger, in the event of a bus crash, etc etc. Holy crap! How did those of us who can spell, be gramactically correct, think, make change without a digitial read out and can find not only the US on a map but many other countries survive school in the 50s, 60, and 70s? Who's in charge here?

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

David Wurz, Albuquerque, N.M. — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:25:24 GMT

They should allow cell phones in schools as they are a necessity for use to and from school. The answer is for the schools to install and use cell phone jammers to prevent cell phone use in classes

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Marie Hoyle — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:28:08 GMT

I have no children in school at the present time, but am a Grandmother of 3 small children. After observing how the world has changed, cell phones MUST be allowed ON THE STUDENT in each school, not in their locker. Perhaps it should be off, but only if accessable quickly.

Columbine children were absolutely helped by having their cell phones with them at their difficult time, advising people in what classrooms they were located.

Mom and Dad's of today, PLEASE, don't over-parent your child and in doing so put them at risk. They must feel secure and know how to be safe if the need arises, but let THEM grow up with independance!! So they know how to go out into the world. Too many rules takes away their overall decision making and ability to think quickly.

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Linda Hiller, Aurora, CO — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:29:23 GMT

These days a child has to have a cell phone. When a school goes into a lock down and the child does not get home on time, the only way to find out where the child is and the school is not answering a land line is a cell phone. NO USING in the class room, but NO BAN.

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Joy, Cincinnati, OH — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:37:52 GMT

I too have been torn on this issue. I agree that there should be no cell phones in school, but the problem remains the exceptions. My daughter (13) has afterschool activities virtually year round. I like being able to contact her in the event that I need to pick her up early or if there's a change of plans or if there's a change on her end (ie, activity cancellation, location change, etc.). After school, there isnt always access to the office, or anyone to answer a call, as the office staff leaves and locks up shortly after school lets out for the day. Basically, I think it rests on the parents to ensure that their child adheres to the rules; 'when you get to school, the phone goes off and goes in your locker' PERIOD. If they don't comply then they need to understand that there are repercussions on the home front.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Pamala Orr, Castle Rock, Colorado — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:44:54 GMT

Thank you for bringing awareness of the cell phone issue to the forefront in this morning's programming. As a classroom teacher, I would like to add that cell phones are extremely disruptive in the classroom, and consequences for their misuse often are ineffective. I heard Dr Ruth Peters call for parents to confront their district's to allow cell phone use, but I would like parents to visit their local schools during the day to actually see the misuse in action. I have had students take inappropriate pictures of themselves and share them with others on their cellphones unbeknownst to that other person. Pictures have also been taken of classmates and shared on files throughout the school. I have seen students leave their class to call their parent and cry how unfair a test was when they failed it. During an emergency evacuation drill, students called parents, who then showed up at the school to take their children away overriding all protocal procedures the school was trying to implement. Many students spend their day text messaging each other, and I have even been dared to spy a student text messaging when she claimed she was so good at being sneaky about texting. I have taken phones from students, but to expect the Administrator to call 100 parents (easily within a school day) to come retrieve their child's phone (including a visit with this administrator) has become such an overwhelming task that few Administrators have the time to follow-up on a confiscated phone policy.
Cell phones are stolen from lockers, bookbags and off student's desk. It's a nuisance that must be addressed appropriately in a society that deems this technology a necessity not a priviledge. Help! Allowing students access to their phones at their discretion is not the answer either. Pamala Orr- formerly of Douglas County School District, Castle Rock, Colorado.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Amanda Whitney, Casper, WY — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:19:45 GMT

I think that kids should be allowed phones in school, but you are really that worried about them using it at inappropriate times..have it programmed for certain usage times. As a high school student, that small piece of security saved me quite a few times. I had an older car and had it break down going home down the highway. No one would help me push it over and I ended up calling my parents and a couple of friends to help me push myself out of danger. I also have used my phone as a fake phone call while being followed by suspicious boys at my school. That phone has saved me in some situations that I could not help myself. No, I was smart enough not to have it on while in classes. Don't ban cell phones in school, because there are far more dangers in today's schools than there were even ten years ago...even in those small cities and towns like mine.

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Brian Brosius indianapolis ,in — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:21:40 GMT

This is just crazy guys,
Parents today are so caught up with themselves they forgot how to teach there kids how to be self reliant. No, kids do not NEED cell phones, nor do they NEED $100 jeans. This is just the latest in FADS just like when we were kids. The zit faced kid who says he would just die if he didn't have his cell,probably needs to focus more on hygine,and trying to clear up his acne before calling someone before class. Parents do not need instant access to their kids. Give your kids some to grow up. They do not need to cry to you everytime something goes wrong with their lives. Much like a license you have to be responsible enough with your own life to warrant such distractions at a young age.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Carolyn, Seattle, WA — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:27:59 GMT

How did we all survive before cell phones?? I understand that we live in a slightly more dangerous society than when I was growing up in the 80s/90s, but I think we'd all be fine if we left the house with out our phones now and then. I think that the children's and teen's motivations for wanting to carry a phone are much different than that of the parents wanting them to carry phones. I think texting and calling friends is their interest, not contacting mom or dad in case of emergency. I agree with Connie and Renee that there are still ways for parents and students to contact one another through the appropriate channels at the schools instead of allowing cell phones in school.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Laurie, Poway, Calif. — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:29:10 GMT

Our school district has a policy that students can have cell phones before and after school. If they are caught with a cell phone during school hours it is brought to the pricipal's office and the parent has to pick it up. This policy seems to work. Kids are so busy after school with activities and the times change frequently that they need to be in contact with their parents or caretakers.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Cathy, Caldwell , ID — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:29:49 GMT

My daughter was involved in an automobile accident, and the hospital called me. She did not need a cell phone to take to school. My girls never needed a cell phone they were given money to call me from a payphone and never spent that money. Why is a cell phone needed for school?

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Richard D. Wilder, Vista, CA — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:31:50 GMT

I am a single father with a son in 7th grade, he has had a cell phone for three (3) years. With his mother's and my schedule changing all the time (she is a Visiting Nurse and I am an Aerospace Engineer) and living a few miles away from each other; we need to be able to leave messages (that he can listen to after school), arrange pick-up if he is sick, coordinate car-pooling, after-school care.... I have had "texting" blocked on his phone and purchased a phone "without" the ability to take pictures. Come on folks, try parenting for a change. I know it is wrong in this PC world to actually parent vs. being your child's "friend”. Make rules and stick to them. Use consequences. Children respond well to rules if enforced. This child is not our first, the oldest is a IT Engineer and the middle child just graduated from USC (Honors). Rules and consistency work; Try it.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Robert R, Blacksburg, Virginia — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:32:41 GMT

After seeing the story on " Should cell phones be banned from school?", I felt compelled to view the feedback. Kudos to Connie,Iuka,MS and their cell phone policy. Dr.Ruth Peters, who was interviewed, sounded like a classic "helicopter" Mom. We all grew up with pay phones and phones in the school office for emergencies. Parents need to relax a little and stop stressing their children. If they can not acheive this goal, PLEASE teach your children responsible and respectful way to use a cell phone. There is nothing worse than watching someone trying to communicate in person with someone using a cell phone. Children see it and repeat this rude behavior daily. Schools should not have to "police" proper behavior with regards to cell phones or any other behavior. It is parents' reposibility to teach our children proper, respectful, mannerly behavior in schools or in the general public.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Diana K , San Luis Obispo, California — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:52:23 GMT

Since when did a parents feelings of insecurity come to outweigh the importance of a child's/youth's education and need for autonomy?
A cellphone in a child's pocket is a leash that in my opinion serves to remind the kid that the parent thinks the world in unsafe. Hello, don't we want our children to be cautious but to believe that the vast majority of people in the world are good and honest and available to help (which they are)? Being alive has always been a risk and the key thing a child learns on the way to adulthood is how to avoid risks and to be resourceful, to use one's own brain. If I was raising another child today I would not allow a cell phone until they were 18. Come on parents, give the teachers a break and your kids some rope. Ditch the phones. The world is not that much more unsafe than the old days, we just have a lot more media like NBC sensationalizing and fear mongering.
(PS to MSNBC:you need to explain the "remember me" button better)

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Nicole, kennewick, WA — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:05:02 GMT

Having a cell phone is not necessary for children to have. I have three teenagers and they don't have a cell phone until they are willing to pay for their own. I agree that cell phones are a huge distraction in school. Very few parents do not follow up with consequences when their children use the phone during school. My kids have told me many times that kids use them to cheat on test and use their phones during class all the time. My kids have survived without cell phones. I teach them and we discuss what they need to do in emergency situations. Also another excuse parents use is that their child needs a phone so they can keep track of them when they are out at night. Again there are many times when a parent calls to see if their child is suppose to be where he/she is and they are not. A land line would be much better to follow up with a child and their where abouts. The cell phone is a convenience but not a necessity. Yes, it would be nice to have a cell phone so you can know right away if there is an emergency instead of enduring the wait. What ever policy your school has for cell phones I think that parents should support it. There are times, parents do not teach their kids to follow rules and respect them. They try to find a way around or bend them when the rule is an inconvenience.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Concerned Winfield Illinois Citizen — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:06:52 GMT

Here's my two cents - Using Cell phones during school is strictly prohibited. I have also removed the "texting" feature from my childs phone. However, after having an F1 tornado with winds in excess of 90 miles per hour rip thru our town last Thursday, our "brilliant" school district administrators in Wheaton Illinois, tried letting the Middle School Children out of school 10 minutes early, removed them from the concrete structure of the school and placed them on School busses - surrounded by glass - to try and "beat the storm" before it hit.

Unfortunately - the storm hit while the children were screaming on their cell phones to there parents last week. There is nothing more horrible than not knowing where your child is during a time of crisis. The good news is, no children lost their lives, just are now scared forever.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Gerri M, PA — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:12:17 GMT

I understand that times have changed and the kids today need a since of security; we are living in a crazy world and I worry about my 3 granddaughters, the oldest going to the 2nd grade. I wouldn't want to take away that security, however, education should remain the focus here. How in the world are these children learning if they are busy text messaging who's talking to who's boyfriend/girlfriend, the ugly outfit so and so has on, who's hot and who's not, etc. At what point are they paying attention to the teacher? Maybe if they paid more attention in class more students would be able to locate the US on a map of the world. If there is an emergency while the child is at school the first place the child should go is to the office or school nurse. If the parent is at work how quickly can they actually deal with the emergency??? What ever happened to phones in the school office or pay phones in the hall? Instead of purchasing cell phones, buy calling cards (or will the child without a cell phone be ridiculed by their peers). How often do these parents who insist that cell phones are a necessity take a look at the activity generated on these cell phones? Is there even a way to check? I wouldn't know since I've yet to own a cell phone (I'm 53)

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Laura, Bend, OR. — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:34:41 GMT

If this debate is truly about safety of children on one side and preventing texting of test answers or invasive photos being taken on the other (as it was presented this morning)then there is a possible compromise. My son has a phone called a firefly. The numbers are pre programmed, it has an emergency feature for 911 and it is controlled by a parental lock. It does not have text or picture capability and has no number key pad. I am sure this type of phone could be easily presented in a more appealing package for teenagers if the demand for it were high enough. As a parent, I like to know I can contact my child....but I also don't want my child texting and tossing around so called funny pictures to others while he is in school.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Lee K — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 16:35:27 GMT

I am the mother of two teenagers who attend public high school. Many of us parents often laugh about how our parents ever raised us without cell phones. Yes, both my children do have cell phones and I wouldn't have it any other way. My oldest, a senior this year drives himself and his sister to school each day. There have been MANY times the last school year when bomb threats were called into our High School. My children were able to text message me about what was happening and that they were ok and they were able to text message when they went back to class.

There is nothing wrong with the children carrying their cell phones to school with them. My children have theirs and they are turned off during the day unless it is an emergency.

Cell phones can be used (most of them) as GPS devices if something happens to your child (of course they need to be turned on to do that). I would rather my teenager have the ability to call me and tell me they are working late or running a few minutes late then driving at a high rate of speed to try to make curfew.

I like the idea of being able to speak to my child if I need to when I need to.

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Jessica, South Range, WI — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 17:42:41 GMT

I graduated from high school in 1999 and cell phones were still expensive then and nobody really had them. We all survived; I waited in the school lobby when I was waiting to be picked up, called from a teachers room or school office when I needed a phone. Plans didn't change if I couldn't reach a parent and we watched out for one another. We waited with someone who was waiting for a parent alone or another parent or coach waited with us. The school was also locked from the outside.

Just because someone has a cell phone doesn't mean that it will protect them. There have been instances where someone was on their cell phone and still had harm come to them. If you really want to know where your child is, you need to attach a device that is there for that sole purpose. A cell phone will not tell you where your child is. If they are kidnapped, the cell phone won't be of any use to them anyways. Kids need to learn to be aware of their environment and the people around them. Cell phones actually distract them from this because their focus is on the cell phone.

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Debi Little Rock, AR — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 18:33:29 GMT

In our school district cell phones are not allowed. But, my 13 yr old travels via bus which is approx 16 miles south of our home, I work 25 miles north on the other side of town, she DOES have a cell phone. After seeing how some accidents are handled, some kids are not as aggresive as others therefore they may not be helped. My daughter and I have gone over our rules. Which are keep the phone out of sight, it's not to be turned on during class, which this is now her 2nd yr going to this school, so far she has made me very proud. I don't see the cell phone as being a babysitter or something that will keep her out of danger, but just maybe one day I can get to her quicker then her waiting for a bus driver to call 40 some students parents in an emergency. Thank you

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The Concerned Citizen of Winfield — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 19:18:31 GMT

Dear Jessica from WI - when your child is on the floor, of a school bus during a tornado, screaming for her life, that our "trusted" school administrators placed our children in, then you can be crtical of whether or not I have the right to know where my child is, and where I could have gotten her from, once she got off the bus ride from H_ll.

concernedwinfieldcitizen@gmail.com

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Jan, Lowell, MA — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 19:23:31 GMT

When I was a child I actually had a parent and not an electronic device! Really how incompetent are parents today when they are as incapable, as they claim, to raise their own children without cell phones??? Parents did this for millions of years, yet, now we have a generation that isn't able to do it???? Really should these people even have children???

Parents claim that their children must have cell phones because they need to know when their child's after school plans change. Why would they just let their children do whatever they want after school and wait to be informed about by a child??? When I was a kid, mom's knew what their kids would be doing and where they would be after school before they even left in the morning and those plans didn't just change on the whim of the moment. Back then people were perfectly capable of raising their children and knowing where they were without letting them constantly make and change their own plans.

All this garbage about kids having three chances to bring them into school is just enabling them. Think about how disruptive this is in class. So a school with 1,000 kids in it means that teachers and administrators need to deal with 3,000 disruptions of in the classroom a year!!! Loud ring tones in the hallway lockers can also disrupt the classroom learning process as well.

Phones get stolen all the time at school and it is another issue that become the teacher's and administrators end up having to deal with at school. You end up with a 12 year old in hysterical in tears because a new $250 cell phone her parents just bought was stolen or lost and she knows her parents are going to freak out about it when she tells them.

Then we have the kids who use their cell phones to call their parents because they forgot their homework for the third time that week and the parents fax or email the homework into the school!!! Yes. parents enable their children constantly with new technology!

Another way cell phones undermine teachers in the classroom is when students get in trouble they run to a bathroom or someplace and call the parents to give their twisted and distorted version of a story first. It gets the parents all worked up against the teacher, the next thing you know the teachers gets paged during class(or their 20 minute lunch) with a screaming angry parent on the phone. Children quickly learn that if they can get a hold of their parent first with a "good" story that they are more likely to believed then the teachers even for an outright lie. Some kids have even walked right up to teachers and shoved a cell phone into the teachers face and said, "My Mom wants to talk to you!!!" Yes again, the "in your face " culture of students to teachers has been taken one more step further!

Parents are not going to be too happy with the technology when their child becomes a victim is technological bullying and harassment. It is not difficult for children to secretly audio or video tape other children in embarrassing situations, including the bathroom and locker room and post them online!!! Once something like that gets out it is almost impossible to make it go away!!! These tapes can be can be manipulated into the most horrible images imaginable!

Teachers are also the targets for horrible harassment by children with too much technology. They can capture and manipulate audio and video images of the teachers and post them online as in the situation recently on the news about the "Hot for Teacher" student made video on Utube and Myspace. No one deserved to be harassed like that and the parents are providing the means for children to do it! Imagine how the child of a teacher feels when they come across their mother being abused like that online!!! It is just not right! This is addition to all the places that children and their parents go online and write all sorts of horrible things about teachers on line.

Children also smuggle these devices into the classroom with the intent of "setting a teacher up." They audio/video tape preplan acting up and misbehavior and post it online or take it to administration and parents claiming that the teacher can not control their classroom and try to get teachers fired or not "asked back" at the end of the school year. It usually works too!

Today more then ever the "inmates run the asylum" when it comes to our public schools. Parents insist that they should be able to override school rules and let their children do as they please. Parents enable and often encourage the harassment and abuse of teachers with technology, especially when they "don't like "THAT" teacher, they think it is funny Teachers have pretty much nothing in the way or rights to protect themselves. (For all this crap teachers make about $35K a year!)

The abuse and humiliation that teachers endure today from students and parents through the use of technology, on top of all all the other crap from parents, students, politicians, and administrators on a general basis is just not worth it. To anyone thinking about going into the teaching profession that they may seriously pick another major. No one need to put up with all this crap!!!

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Allen Prentice — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 19:25:35 GMT

I feel that cell phones should not be in the schools. If they are on the bus or in a friends car then cell phones should be at hand. They don't need a cell phone in class. This Dr Ruth Peters thoughts are way out there. These cell phones that these children have are not just for 911 issues. They use 95% of their phone to text and talk to their friends. The other 5% is for 911 issues. Then she said to work with the schools to take it away if the phone was used in a wrong way an have the parent come in to get it. Then after three times the parents would stop coming to the school to get it. But wait the argument that having a cell phone is most needed. But if the child don't have it cause the parent stop getting it. Is that not putting the child in harms way? make up your mind Dr Peters should have have it or not. If they need a phone to call MOM I am sure that the school office will not prevent then from using it. THEY DONT NEED IT IN THE CLASSROOM!

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Concerned parent in Elizabeth Colorado — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:00:51 GMT

I have a 15 year old daughter and she goes to a very small high school on the plains, which is an hour away from where I work. My husband is about 30 minutes away from her as well. She does have a cell phone, but it took a long time for us to realize that she might need one. In her school district, she is not allowed to have her phone on her and it must stay in her locker. Do I feel better that she has a phone on her? Sure, due to the after school sports she is in. Do I believe she needs one? Nope, she doesn't. I am like most of the other posters that believe we lived fine without a cellphone for the longest time.

When my daughter was in middle school, she begged and pleaded to have a phone because all of her friends had them. Well, those friends would cheat on tests, text each other in class about people, and basically not listen. I am glad we waited to get her a phone. Helps that our daughter is now in AP classes and those "friends" are not. She pays attention to the teacher and not to the people texting her.

Yes, the lifestyle we lead now is so differnt than it was when we were teenagers, but we had those bad things happen too. Teachers these days are overworked and WAY underpaid that these latest distractions are not necessary. Why is it so important to contact your child in class? I think schools do have land lines, right?

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Gary Brazell Houston Texas — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:22:50 GMT

Unfortunately today the kids are running the program
so ask the kids not the so called people in charge.

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anon — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:24:00 GMT

I am totaly blown away about all the responses hear talk about 'teaching your kids'. Obviously very few parents are teaching there kids much of anything other then how to get their way. But then again I see so many 'grownups' engaging in anything that resembles responsible cell phone use that it's no wonder they do what they do. These teachers would not be considering banning phones if it were only a few bad apples. What does it say about our culture? Many children are spoiled wrotten, they have an air of entitlement that is appaling. But then again there's only one place they get this from. That's in the home. They don't do what you tell them, they imitate what they see. These teachers aren't lying. Stop living in denial and do something. Dont make the school system parent your kids. S

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Mary Ann Kerz — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:29:23 GMT

Our school allows cell phones, but only placed in the locker. I am a bus driver and no one is allowed to use a cell phone on the buses. Only if there is an emergency will I allow a student to use one. There is absolutely no reason to carry on a conversation on a school bus that only takes 1/2 hour to get you home.

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JAMES LOOMER — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:30:17 GMT

Rationalize the fact you can't control your children at home and then go along with the excuses your children give you so they don't have to realize there is a time and a place for play and its not in school. Lets continue to degrade our education in this country and we will lose everything..

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Girl girl, miami, fl — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:42:59 GMT

i have a cellphone and i think its awesome!!!! im in 8th grade and i use it a lot...not for texting during class but for talking before and after school. i probably would feel very bored all the time if i didnt have a phone because i am an only child and that is the best way to communicate with my friends AND family...

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Ed Harris, Aiken, SC — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:44:50 GMT

Children should definately NOT have cell phones in the classroom. I am a retired teacher with 5 grandchildren and three chidren.

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Adriana — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:03:01 GMT

I am a senior in high school. I have had personal problems and issues getting rides home. For instance I have early release but I dont have my own car. Well we have pay phones at school and children dont always have change on them and our teachers are really crazy bout us using the phones and having passes to the student center. At times its hard to even goto the nurse! Our teachers have to agree with everything we do. My cell phone is my lifeline. Sometimes I have to text my mom or call her and tell her what the problem is. Where she thinks its necessary for me to check out some teachers would disagree. They think if you aint puking, bleeding, or dying you're ok. Alot of times they are wrong because I have seen children faint or pass out b/c of actions teachers have not taken.

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Laura, Penticton, BC, Canada — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:06:48 GMT

Cell phones are not the problem. Lack of parenting is the most likely problem. Kids today seem to have a lack of respect for authority (probably because they have none at home). A cell phone is not only a safety thing, but also allows parents to be in touch with their kids when they need to be. I am sure it is frusterating when you are stuck late in a meeting and have no way to communicate to your child that you will be late. I agree phones shouldn't be allowed in the classroom, but not allowed on school grounds? Give me a break! Times are changing and communications is one of the fasted growing industries out there! You just have to deal with it!

There weren't so many computers 20 years ago and yes, everyone survived....Should we do away with those now too?

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Kathy Grant — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:11:16 GMT

Have you ever tried to get a message to your child in today's high schools? Or has your child ever missed a bus and tried to get them to contact you? My son lets me know when his bus is running late, or doesn't come (often), I leave him messages about his after-school babysitting jobs, etc. Many scary situations have been avoided or diffused by my son's ability to contact me. Today's schools are different, the world is different, and being able to contact your child during the day is not a parenting failure, it is a necessity for the parent who stays in touch with their child. Put the phone on vibrate, enforce usage rules in the classroom (yes, I think for the money and effort I put into the public school system the admin CAN handle this)or make teachers and communication much more accessible to the students and parents than they are right now. My son has never misused his responsibility with his phone- isn't that the point here, teaching responsibility? Stop punishing the good kids- a popular technique used by school admin. to reduce THEIR responsibility! I am a supporter of the public schools and my son is an excellent student and citizen, and I maintain the right to equip him as I see fit. And I don't believe for a minute that cell phones cause poor grades, behavior, etc.- that's just silly. These things are a product of general indulgence, not of allowing our children to use tools!

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Jon, Phoenix, AZ — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:27:28 GMT

Wow, Dan, You're a jerk. Instead of debating, you've elected to take the easy non-intellectual way out. "you disagree with me, therefore I am not talking to you". That's pretty cheap, Dan. Go take a debate class and then perhaps you'll have a shred of credibility, you've lost yours as far as I'm concerned. Frankly, I'm surprised you had the guts to post that. Oh, and you go ahead and let the parents of the kids that were in Columbine, Heritage, Rocori, Red Lake, Platte Canyon, Weston, etc. etc. that they aren't allowed to talk to their children. If teens are disrupting class, it seems to me parents should parent. When did the schools start raising our children for us?!!!

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R.L. Ravena, NY — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:27:53 GMT

When I was in high school I didn't have a cellphone and they were banned when I was. I was a sophomore in high school when columbine happened and even after they were still banned. Kids do not need cellphones in school they aren't a necessity. Schools tend to have emergency plans if something were to happen and cellphone use usually gets in the way of that, causing confusion with amongst the parents, children and school as to how to properly execute those emergency plans. In college I did have a cellphone and even there it became a hassle, often interrupting lectures or libraries. It is the same in high school, as a parent if you think that your child isn't able to tamper and chaneg cellphone blocks or erase call history, you should think again. As well as if you think your child is not using that cellphone in class, think again. They are simply novelties that your 16 doesn't need as well as a distraction. Try teaching them some responsibility or invest in an Amigo that calls only Mom, Dad, Hospital, and 911.

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San Diego Mom — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:28:32 GMT

Cell phones seem to be the new villain, but the problem that most people have with them is age-old. Texting in class is no different than the epic-length notes that were passed around the class room in my day…only faster. Blaming the phone instead of the child/teen is another example of misplaced responsibility. The one, really valid issue relates to inappropriate photos that are taken of the user or his/her classmates. And blaming the phone for “in-your-face” confrontations is ridiculous. A whining child and a bullying parent will get in a teacher’s face regardless of the communication method; and this is really a problem with recognition of a teacher’s authority, not that the parent is on the phone.

However, I still believe that cell phones should not be banned from the campus. My son is in the 6th grade and carries a cell phone to school. He understands that the phone is to remain in his pocket, unused, until school is out. Teach a child to follow rules, even with the choice to do otherwise, and you have taught him responsibility. Remove all options except the “acceptable”, and you have taught him to walk on a leash.

With today’s bomb threats and school shootings, we do not send our children to the same schools that we went to. Sure, we managed to grow up without cell phones. Most of us grew up without computers and the internet. And yet, where are you right now?

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Jan Hutcheson, California — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:52:57 GMT

As a mother who had a daughter in high school and worked 20 minutes away, if my daughter had to stay after school for any reason by the time she could get to a pay phone, I was already on my way. As I used my lunch hour to pick her up and take her home, it was so very frustrating to be waiting and not know why she was there. The best thing that happened for the two of us was, her cell phone. I believe that anytime outside of the classroom, the student should be able to use it if needed. If the students are using it during the classroom, as far as I am concerned, the teacher is not checking his or her students. By the way, I work for a school district.

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sebastianlogiudice, middletown ct — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:53:09 GMT

No to cellphones at school. It creates jealousy and more bills. Conserve electricity. Don't talk to strangers. Don't cheat on tests. Don't gossip. Don't throw friend's cell phone in toilet. Do not throw cellphone. Do not drop cell phone. Do not hide answers to tests in cell phones. and on and on and on

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LB, San Jose, CA — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:53:20 GMT

In my day, it was calculators that weren't allowed in school...

A phone is just a tool. Communicating is good, even just chatting with friends. Of course, the school should enforce no use during class, just like the kids shouldn't be listening to their ipod during class. But an all-out ban on the school grounds seems over the top.

I grew up without cellphones, but I don't leave the house without it now. Why should the kids be forced to go without a device their parents can't live without?

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Teacher, Los Angeles, CA — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 23:58:35 GMT

As a teacher, I cannot stand the cell phones. All schools have true emergency systems in place (especially following Columbine). Kids are not using these phones in class for "emergencies", they are using them to chat, or to call mom/dad for a ride home.

Kids have lost the need for responsibility due to parents who give, give, give...but do not teach the responsibility.

Cell phones: NO
Parental Control: PLEASE

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Jack, Denver, CO — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:13:38 GMT

I'm a 19 year old college student, and I can truthfully say I survived without a cell phone. Emergencies? What emergency in school would cause a parent to call their children. Parents can just as easily contact the school office. I've been in school recently PA systems are just as useful as a cellular phone, which students can find much more accomadating using them during class time for activities that are indeed not calling their mommies to check in.. There are many more reasons why cell phones should not be allowed in school. I can see a student possibly needing a cell phone at lunch and after school, I agree with leaving cell phones at the office desk and picking them up for lunch and then after school if a student insists on bringing a cell phone.

I can see a point in having a cell phone at any other time ( other than driving ). However at school a cell phone is more of a distraction and another way for unnecessary communication. If a shooter decided to come into a school, I'm positive they wouldn't have succeeded because a student didn't have his or her cell phone on him. There is no excuse.

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Holly, Sacramento, CA — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:20:44 GMT

Oh Jan, if you work for a school district you must understand that cell phones should not be seen or heard during the school day. If teachers are mandated to be the cell phone police during instruction time, how much instruction is likely to take place??? It's a big, giant DUH. No cell phones at school.

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AF, Greenville, SC — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:32:16 GMT

As a parent of a 14 yr old boy, I agree that cell phones have no place in our schools. Along with the temptation to cheat (texting test information to friends, sending text pics of test and info on pop quizzes, etc), students feel it unbearable to leave their cell phones silent for more than half a second. Some schools have advised students that cell phones are permitted in their lockers only. What purpose does that serve? Another temptation-stealing? What good does a phone do if it's in their locker? They might as well leave it at home. My son has a cell phone, and as parents, we require that the phone remain home during school. And guess what? Thats just the way it is. We make the rules- not excuses!
Although we live in a world of technological advances, the reason for safety and the ability to communicate readily, is just a bunch of excuses. There are always alternatives. Messages with school faculty, the use of public payphones or school office phones have worked all the way through and up to, the increase of cell phone usage. Why is this not good enough now?

Along with a student ban on cell phones, teachers should be restricted to cell phones usage in the classroom as well. I hear on a daily basis the number of children, including those in my son's school, that teachers use their phones daily, in class, for personal phones calls. Their job is to teach, not to give reading and writing exercises, just to be able to blab on a personal call for 30 minutes of a 45 minute class. If phones are to be banned, they should be banned for students as well as teachers. Classrooms can be fitted, if not already, with interom devices, web cams, etc if the need arises. The "safety" issue does not fly with me as a justification for children to have them in school.

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giblets — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:35:29 GMT

Hmm, it's tough on the teachers, but times are different now than when 'we were in school'. and now there is the possibility that someone else's kid is bringing a gun to school.

So I say keep the cell but limit use to emergency only by using a prepaid card system.

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Mochi Seattle, Wa — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:37:40 GMT

In this day and age, the art of connecting people faster and easier is accelerating and will continue to do so. It astounds me that letting a child have a cell phone causes so many issues. I believe children should be allowed to have cell phones in school.

The argument of "I didn't have one and I did fine" is ludicrous. Students are now expected to do more comprehensive research due to the Internet, create Excel spreadsheet documents for science class, and much more. These students are required to do much more than what the educational system demanded 30 years ago. In the current education system, status quo is not acceptable.

To ensure students do not create mischief in school, the school districts should standardize the cell phone of the students. The districts should negotiate with the cell carriers to specify a specific plan and specific phone. In turn, the parents should only purchase those standardized phones for their child. In addition, phone access maybe specified per school policy. In addition, the school can mandate only certain features be allowed for the phone such as text messages and phone calls. To combat stolen phones, the school can use its purchasing power to secure insurance for each and every phone.

For teachers, it well understood that the society is changing. I sympathize with you and your job's degree of difficulty. I think the easiest method to dealing with cell phones is to have a standard cell phone and have every student place their cell phone on their desk at the beginning of the class period. As you take roll, you can check to ensure every cell phone is off. Also, students will not be allowed to touch their cell phones again for the remainder of the class period.

I don't think there is a silver bullet solution, but I think through discussion and dialog will a reasonable answer come through.

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Cat, Scottsdale, AZ — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:37:51 GMT

I have already raised two children to adult, and am raising my youngest two (9 and 7). My 9 year old 4th-grader has friends in his class who already have cell phones "so they can stay in touch with Mom". Yes, I live in Yuppie Central, and it shows. My children will NOT have cell phones until they can prove to me that they are necessary. Instead, I teach them to be polite, helpful, friendly, and careful. I teach them to think about the consequences of their actions, and to accept responsibility, just as I did the two older ones. And my children are well behaved without being artificial or brainless, which proves that limiting television and spending actual human time with them works!

BY the way, you in Winfield, Illinois? How did a screaming child on a cell phone tell you how to find her? And did you find her, or did the bus bring her home? You never really covered that. I'm just really curious, because people talk about cell phones being GPS signals, although they forget to mention that the phone has to have some modifications done on it before it works that way. It also requires a particular bit of software to be installed before it can be used as a tracking device. You never mentioned when you voided your warranty and insurance on your child's cell phone to use it as an internet tracking device, and being from Kansas, I would almost bet money that the Internet was down during the storm! Vent your panic on someone else, we prefer to actually parent our children, not baby them.

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Ikie12pts — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:38:11 GMT

As a teacher, I can attest to the fact that high school children are "text" messaging each other all day long. When they are pretending to read or finish an assignment, they are texting. In one high school in Florida, the entire accountability testing had to be re-given because students were texting the answers to each other.
I didn't have a telephone in my purse or pocket when I attended school and these young people do not need one, either. Our school does have a policy of first offense (ringing or being caught texting) phone taken up and given back at the end of the day. Second offense, is to call parents and the parent picks up the telephone. Some schools don't allow telephones AT ALL and that's the best common sense solution to the prob lem. If a student needs to call home, he or she may go to a pay phone or to the office.

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giblets — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:43:11 GMT

and no offense, but speaking of 'when we were in school', never did teachers complain so bitterly and openly for all the world to hear/see - including the children they teach.

Have enough sense to make yourselves respectable images so the children will respect your rules in the classroom - enough of this pass the buck mentality.

remember "it takes a village to raise a child" as Ms. Clinton and other wise people from around the world have obseved, as teachers you are right up there in front of the crowd, get another job if it feels like an unfair imposition tp take part in shaping our future minds.

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Brianne, East Liverpool, Ohio — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 00:54:11 GMT

All,
There are so many of these comments that I agree with. I'm a 19 year old consultant for a software company. I graduated in the top 20% of my high school class, and went through a 5 month tech school to get where I am. All of this was done...WITH A CELL PHONE! I had a cellphone for 2 years of middle school and all 4 years of high school. I used my phone in between classes, but not in them. A cell phone is extremely important (not necessary, but important) for a child to have, because they need to be able to have quick contact with family. I had to be able to let my mom know when I would be home late from a basketball practice, or when a practice or rehersal was cancelled so she would know when I would be home, so she didn't worry. Kids should be taught that using a cellphone at certain times is extremely disrespectful, but they should also be taught that they are important to have, and should be used in ANY emergency, because lets face it...kids are kids.

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Jen, Ohio — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 01:06:37 GMT

The only time I believe that I child should have a cell phone is when that child begins driving by himself/herself and needs the phone in case of an emergency. I do not see the point in a child younger than that having a cell phone, particularly on school grounds where there are land lines. As for the point that the psychologist tries to make about children getting a ride with a friend...well, I'm sure that friend's mother has a phone and will allow the child to use it to call his/her parents to update them as to his or her location. My family, friends, and I did fine without cell phones as children and so can the children of this generation.

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Zilduli, SLC UT — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 01:12:21 GMT

As a 16 year old high school student I don't approve of the "cellphone bans" that they have in schools. It should be the parent's responsibility to discipline their children and not the school's. In my opinion, if you have a cellphone, you should be mature enough and have the common sense to know when it is appropriate to use it. Unfortunately, I do see many of my fellow classmates on their phones during the class and I don't think highly of them, especially being in the Advanced Placement classes.

There is a time and place for cellphones in school, just not during class.

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Zach Mahaffey, Green River, WY — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 01:19:26 GMT

First of all, we are in a time of technology. Cell Phones are a part of everyday life. People need to realize that the world has changed from the "60's 70's and 80's." Life is a lot more convienient because of cell phones. As a high school student I use my cell phone on a daily basis. NOT just using it as a way to talk to my friends but to inform my parents I need a ride, or tell them I have become ill, or tell them I have been hurt, or tell them I am in an emergency, or even tell them where I am going and where I will be! On many occasions when I had to stay after school for extra help or for sports, school phones were unavailable to use because the school office was closed. Cell phones are a great tool to have especially when there is no other way to communicate.

Basic Line, cell phones are a safety net for both parents and kids.

People stop living in the stone age, start accepting that cell phones are a part of everyday life, and QUIT complaining!!!!

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mom and teacher, Olympia WA — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 01:31:11 GMT

Ok after reading some of these comments it amazes me to think that cell phones are a necessity for students in class or at school in general as pointed out by many others and I agree with many of the comments. Teachers do have enough to contend with on a daily basis (I am one - Elementary). My Dad - retired teacher, still subbing is always telling me stories about how most of what is done in class is TM and how absolutely irritating it is. I won't even discuss MP3 players. My 13 year old niece recently went over her "budget" of TM and her Mom says she owes her the $$ - wonder if she will ever get it-. The funniest thing is the consequence - they actually added more minutes to her TM allowance! We now live a fear based society, I don't think the world is any less dangerous - we just have more access to information at our fingertips. How many people actually know their neighbors? And what has happened to the sense of community? Trusting other people to also look after our kids? Trusting the systems our public schools have in place to respond to emergencies? Are parents so fearful that devestating things will happen to their children on a daily basis? What about teaching our children self reliance and teaching them to listen to cues to tell them to avoid dangerous situations (that old gut instinct). There are more good people in the world than people believe there are. Parents seem to be projecting their fears on to their children, setting their kids up with their own agendas. Overindulgence with things kids apparently need to get through life - it is getting out of control. Distractions such as cell phones and MP3 players don't belong in school. I am a Mom of two, we don't have a video game player, We have one cell phone with a pay as you go plan (and I don't even know haw to receive messages!)and somehow we actually manage to get through life - in fact we may even know more about each other reading physical cues and not digital ones.

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Cori, Scottsdale, Arizona — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 01:37:17 GMT

Obviously a lot of parents don't pay attention and go with the "hype" of having a normal cell phone. There is a special cell phone designed just for KIDS! Parents are able to program three emergency numbers into the cell phone ( parents or guardians/grandparents and 911 ). These cell phones are not capable of texting, taking pictures, videos, etc. It is also federal law stating that all cell phones that are not activated through a carrier be able contact 911. Here is the link for fellow parents - http://www.fireflymobile.com/ . I am a parent of a toddler and i worry every minute of the day that we are "out and about" doing errands, and I worry about when my child is older and will not always have myself or his father protecting him. This cell phone is perfect for kids and parents for emergency reasons only.

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Cathy Dobbs, Covington Georgia — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 01:39:48 GMT

I am on the School Board in Newton County Goergia...we have discussed this policy for several years and finally we decided the students may carry the phone to school, it must be off during school hours, after the last bell they may use the phones at school. If they are caught using the phone during school hours (8:30 to 3:30) the phone is taken;they are disciplined and parent have to come to the school the pick up the phone...I have three sons ages 27 to 15 and I must say it is nice to be able to reach my son after football practice!

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Travis, Seattle Washington — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 01:43:37 GMT

All this ignorance about people thinking if a child should have a phone at school.... Many are acting like kids are bringing knifes to school; as if cell phones are harmful in any way, shape, or form. Why don't you take away their right to talk as well, they can cheat that way to. Hell why don't you take away their right to think as well. Cell phones are used for safty measures for children. Many have after school sports or other activities. So I should tell my baseball coach "yeah sorry I couldn't make it on time, I had to run home and get my cell phone so that I can call my mom to pick me up after practice.". The reason my parents gave me a phone was for sports and other things I did after school. If I went to a buddys house. Then if we choose to do something else I check in and tell them. It allows more freedom to the child and more security for the parents. Also it can teach responsibility if used properly. Just as much as anything else a cell phone is a tool. Heres a solution how about we all get brains and decide "no cell phones out in class". Wow that was hard to think up... seriously makes me feel ingenious, or rather at least you people do. Cell phones are used as tools, as all tools, cell phones can be abused just as much as any other tool. So sorry if my parents are as rich as you are to have people babysit them and hold their hands after school or have good working hours so they can always be there when a child needs them. Get over yourselfs and the past. This is the future. Deal with it.

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Brett Johnson, Nappanee, Indiana — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:00:44 GMT

OK. Here's a reply from an actual student. Being a freshman in college now, I saw 4 years of students cheating and not paying attention or doing classwork from texting and using their cellphones. I never used a cellphone in class. I had no need for one in class, or at school for that matter. Those who think they are necessary in school are complete fools. THERE ARE PHONES AT THE SCHOOL AVAILABLE TO THE STUDENT! High school students are NOT responsible kids! Simply put: your kids are going to become incompetent adults! They are going to fail and not aspire to anything! I mean, today I was watching the power of 10 and there was a lady contestant who said she didn't know what scrutinize meant! How are these people getting out of school with a 4th grade vocabulary?! She was a contestant on the CBS show Big Brother (which explains some of it right there), but still.

Seriously, if you want your son/daughter to succeed in high school, come to reality and don't let them have cell phones in school, let alone anywhere, say, until they're 18 or so, when they become a tad bit more responsible.

Again, this is coming from an actual student.

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Angel Wells Martinsburg WV — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:07:01 GMT

Hmmm - for those of you making comments about the 50's and 60's and not needing cell phones then and not needing them now ... when did the Columbine Massacre happen? THAT happened in the 90's NOT the 50's or 60's. Other high school shootings have happened NOW not then. It was the kids with the cell phones that were able to contact emergency crews before any one else. These kids were able to call their parents to let them know they were ok or the parents had a direct link to their children to find out if they were ok without having to call the school and wait several agonizing hours before they find out. My 15 year old has a cell phone that I MAKE her carry with her at all times when away from me. I am also proactive in the fact that I check the online statement every day to make sure she was not using the phone when she wasnt supposed to and if she did, she got disciplined. Bottom line, effective parenting will take care of other issues. Some people need to realize there are a lot more dangers to our children now than there were 50 years ago.

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Lise, Hollis, NH — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:25:44 GMT

I am a mother and a high school teacher so I see it from both sides.

We allow cell phones in school but they may not be used during the school day unless the student is in the front hall where the pay phone is and they have a pass to be using a phone.

They may not be seen in class, period. If we see one we may say to put it away or confiscate it, teacher's choice depending on the situation. Any refusal and it's confiscated and the student may then pick it up in the office at the end of the day. If use continues another day, the phone is confiscated and parents are called in.

This is the compromise we have arrived at that balances the student's ability to have a phone for emergency reasons with the teacher's need to manage a classroom.

Cellphones are extremely disruptive in a classroom and students should not be using them to make or receive calls or text messages, period. Previous posts have already listed many reasons why but my biggest complaint is their potential for cheating. I've even had students text home to get a parent to dismiss them for the day because an assignment was due and they weren't ready. (Some parents will do anything to "help" their child)

With our policy, if there is some kind of emergency at the school, a student could call for help. But a parent should still go through the office for their own emergency contact. After all, if an emergency has happened in their family, they wouldn't want their emotionally distraught teen to rush out of the building without counseling, would they?

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Brett Johnson, Nappanee, Indiana — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:28:55 GMT

Also, anyone who uses past incidences at schools (like Columbine, for instance) for the reason kids MUST HAVE cellphones are copouts. Stop using those for backing up your illogical reasonings. Its cheap. You have no argument. Violence is ALWAYS on the rise. That does not mean a cellphone in the hands of an irresponsible teenager is the solution!

All you overprotected parents are the reason for many of the problems!

Plus, any student response in favor of having cellphones should be disregarded. Unless they give an actual example from there personal life where a cell phone was the only solution, it is biased.

Once again, the student.

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Jeff K, Chaska, MN — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:51:11 GMT

There is no need for cell phones in today's classrooms - just as there was no need for them in the past. In the case of a true emergency, schools have in place systems that protect the children and notify the parents. Cell phones in school are an unnecessary distraction that take time away from teachers and have been implicated in cheating.

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Bulldog H., Rapid City, SD — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:55:42 GMT

Clearly times have changed. It is very good to know that parents want their children to be safe, but the fact of the matter is that when kids are in school, the school should do their best to keep the kids in their (school) safe hands at all times. I am opposed for students to have cell phones in school. This conclusion comes from multiple instances where students use cell phones within school premises to bully other students, cheat, and be a nuisance during class time. Bottom line I think schools should BAN cell phones on campus. What you do with the phone before and after, off campus is up to the student.

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Eric schroeder — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:59:10 GMT

I vote that cell phones should not be allowed at school. Video, camera, text, IM, internet, games, etc all are distractions that are not needed and should not be allowed. I remember when I was in middle and high school that if you were caught with electronic games, the teacher would take them away and keep them until the end od the nine week period and then they had to be reclaimed by your parents. Cell phones and electronics are simply distractions (look at car crash rates involving them) even though they are great tools, school is a place to learn with out a crutch or a crib sheet. Not to mention the potential for sexual harassment with a camera phone. imagine one in a locker room. Ban them entirely. No exceptions. Teachers and students alike. School staff can use walkie talkies for campus communications if needed.

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Paulo Domingez, San Diego, CA — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:04:51 GMT

To the person working for the school district in California with a daughter attending school 20 minutes away, evidently you must work in an office because you don't know how a classroom full of kids work. When administrators breathe down your neck to teach better, when the state is requiring you to teach this way, when your life as a teacher starts to become more of a daycare provider, then you can say something about teachers. Cell phones are the key ingredient for students to misbehave, to be anything else rather then be a student. I don't know for the life of me how many times students have had their folks call them in the middle of class, and wouldnt you know it some of those parents happen to be the bookkeeper at the head office.

thanks for making it harder for teachers to teach, better yet for making it harder for students to learn.

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Technoparent, Panama City Beach, Fl — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:16:43 GMT

I agree that cell phones should not be used in school however in these times of daily escalating violence I want my child to have her phone in her pocket at all times. If something happens in her school it will do her no good locked in locker. My daughter is 11yo she has had a cell phone since she was 8yo. I got it for her after the Jessica Lunsford kidnapping and murder. She has it for family and emergency use. She is instructed to keep it in her pocket on vibrate. #1 on the keypad is programmed to dial 911 so in an emergency she just has to reach in her pocket and push one button. It never has to be out of her pocket. I told her that if she does need to use it to call me or her dad she is to get out of sight as it will only be effective if no-one knows she has it. We explained to her that if someone plans to snatch her that they will probably watch her first. If they see she has a phone it will do her no good because the first thing they do will be take it away. She has been very mature about its use and realizes that it can be her lifeline. The first misuse will have dire consequences and she knows it. Don't speak to about not being a parent and relying on technology to do it for me. My child is forewarned and with that phone foreARMED. It might not save her life but maybe it will.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:20:15 GMT

I have to agree that kids should be allowed to have cell phones in schools, mainly to protect the children from the schools themselves. When I was a kid, pre-cell phone era, I had the misfortune of meeting up with a hideously unfair and cruel teacher and principal working in conjunction. To make a very long story short, as a disciplinary measure for a minor infraction, I was physically assaulted by the principal. Do you think I was given a chance to use the landline then to call my mom for help, or even the police? No. When I tried to call for help, I had the phone snatched out of my hand and my mom lied to by the principal that everything was ok, and was then dragged into another room where I was assaulted again. By the time my mom found out, it was after school, and the school district had begun to run its "damage control" system.

People put too much trust into our school system. Just because they say they're "teaching" and doing good doesn't mean they are. Parents need to look out for their kids in the ways they see fit, because no one else cares about their kids as much as they do. And if that means teachers have to give extra detentions for texting in class, so be it.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

The Deaf One, Utah — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:28:22 GMT

I am deaf and a working mother. First of all, I agree cell phones aren't necessary during the course of a normal school day. I am not in favor of a ban, but I do want cell phones available (turned off when not needed or when not in use). For before and after school times as well as during emergencies, cell phones should be accessible to students.

I also have two teenagers. My work requires a lot of travelling, so I am not near a land line. Also, a land line requires use of a TTY and most schools/places do not have a TTY accessible. School personnel aren't able to contact me by telephone, but they do contact me by email which comes to my cell phone if they need to notify me of problems occuring during the school hours. During off school times, the solution for my very active and sports involved teenagers to contact me with their schedule is by text messaging me to my cell phone. This enables us to coordinate our schedules together and allows quick contact for emergencies.

This ability to have quick contact came in handy when there was a car accident they were involved in as passengers (my teenagers aren't old enough to drive) and the police officers were unable to contact me (because I was deaf). However, my teenagers could contact me with the cell phone via text messaging. I was then able to go meet them at the hospital.

As with all things, there are pros and cons. The cons have to be dealt with wisely.

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Chirs, Dearborn Heights, MI — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:50:59 GMT

I am a high school senior who has had a cell phone for the past 6 years; I couldn't even think about not having my cell phone in school. I am a straight A student and I use my cell phone for emergencies, and yes sometimes that is in the middle of class. I doesn't make a difference if some think we shouldn't have cell phones it is a part of our lifes, just as common as a parent driving to work. So all the teacher complaining about us having them in school suck it up because we have them and they are not going any time soon!!!!

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Erin Carrigan, Sarasota, Florida — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:53:44 GMT

I am teacher and a parent. While I understand the safety reasons for a parent wanting a child to have a cell phone (e.g. walking to and from school), you have no idea what a problem cell phones have become. My district has a policy that the cell phones cannot be visible during the school day. Even that is a problem. I have kids text messaging their friends at school, cell phones ringing during class, etc... Something else the kids like to do is go to the restroom to use their phones. I can hear them on them and they come walking out of the restroom with the phones in their hands. I am supposed to confiscate them, but I have had kids threaten and scream at me when I ask. I have to call security and have them removed. It is a joke for parents to think their children will use them only during an emergency. Their is NO REASON for their use during school hours. You just have no idea what a nightmare it is. If a parent needs to call their child or visa versa, just go through the office. Any student who gets a phone call in my class, from a parent or not, gets a referral/detention.

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Dan, Tucson AZ — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:57:07 GMT

Any parent here that thinks they have some sort of RIGHT to equip their children with cellphones in school is selfish! Kids are kids, they're learning, yes? So most likely, they'll abuse their so-called "right" in the classroom. I can't stand the excuses the same parent make saying "I pay for the school to blah blah and police this blah". No you don't, you pay for them to teach your kids. And FYI: emergencies are one in a BILLION that a cellphone at school would be better than the school phone. That's right, you heard it, one in a billion. Columbine? Virginia Tech? That's like saying a meteor might strike your kid so he better have a cellphone on him. Stop worrying so much and teach your kids to not be so dang afraid. You grew up fine without a cellphone in school, can't your kid?

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Stephanie Thomas Saint Joseph MO — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 04:12:06 GMT

dan you are so rude with your comment for this question Jackie:
Do you have kids!!

Dan:
You had to go there…this conversation is over.
if you have kids you wouldnt have said that rude comment i dont think you should be saying any more rude comments thanks

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Kim — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 04:13:37 GMT

First of all when we were in school the kids didn't carry guns and try to kill each other. No I don't think the phone should be on at school, but I do agree if there is an emergency they can call their parent if for nothing more then to be reassured by them they are going to be ok. Our school had 71 bomb threats, two children being escorted off the campus for having guns, and no telling how many times the police were called in to break up a racial fight all in a two period. YES I want my kid to have a cell phone so I can be notified by someone when something like this happens around my child, because God knows if you wait on the school officials to call you well then your child is already facing trouble. You can go online and monitor if the phone is turned on, if they send a text or whatever and at that point if the child is not following the rules then he/she gets it taken away. Its a matter of peace for everyone involved. I bet it a student came into the class shooting up everyone, someone in that class would be glad a child had a cell phone. Just my 2 cents worth.

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Tracie, AR — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 04:16:19 GMT

I think it would be ok for the kids to have better access to messages, be able to use the cell phone before and after school and during lunch. My husband is currently in Iraq for the next year. He talks to our children every other weekend. He has opportunity to call during the day, which COULD be around their lunch time, but they are at school. If they had access to a phone, he could possibly call them and chat with them while they are on lunch. His days are our late night 10:30pm, he goes to his room about 1 pm our time and has no access to a phone until just before and just after his shift. In addition, when is the last time you tried to call the school to tell your child you would be late picking them up, or they need to ride the bus home because you cannot make it there (if they have that option). I have had a 2nd grade child start walking a 2 mile walk home from school because someone in the office "forgot" to relay the message to the teacher that she needed to go to afterschool care because i couldn't pick her up. We lived out of district so she did not have the option to ride a bus home. So when i hadnt arrived about 15 minutes later she and another child started walking home. When i arrived to pick her up, they said she wasnt there. I called the police and located her and the other student walking down a major highway. Had she had some form of contact, she could have called me to see where i was or i could have left her a message - as a back up in addition to calling the school office. The office worker did get into trouble, but that would not have resolved anything had something happened to my child.

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dallas texas — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 04:21:02 GMT

Remember Columbine???
That is why my kids will have their cell phones in school. Not for any other reason.

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estee — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 04:28:01 GMT

I am a retired teacher and a parent of grown children. And I am glad that I am.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Michelle — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 04:28:42 GMT

Absolutely I will have my child carry a cell phone. No she will NOT be allowed to use it during school hours, in any way. I will not allow texting at all. I'm paying the bill, I will be able to see if she is using her phone during school hours, or texting. If she does, then she gets privleges taken away. I and my husband work, I work early afternoon to late at night. He works early morning till, many times, after 8pm. We live in a small town, but that is where most of these school shootings seem to happen, is in the smaller towns. It eases my mind. If the school even tries to take her phone away, they will have me to deal with. And if they ever try to impose a "fine" they can take that and shove it.

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Casey, Minneapolis, MN — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 04:43:42 GMT

Most kids have cell phones and they are great in some cases, but during class they are not at all necessary. I think if the teacher sees them out at all, the phone is gone! I know for a fact that kids cheat by texting. I agree that teachers should not have to be police over yet another thing in the classroom, but if the rule was that the phone is gone if it is out, maybe the kids would listen.

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Adam, Concord, CA — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 04:46:14 GMT

I remember not too long ago, when I was in Middle School, there were several days when I was left waiting after school for hours upon hours before I realized I had to walk several miles home with a loaded backpack. When I had the quarters I would be able to call home and find out if I am getting picked up or if I need to get a ride from a friend. A cell phone would have been nice indeed.

I wouldn't blame my parents either. They are immigrants and work 24/7 to keep a roof over our head and food on the table.

In anycase, I was harassed on the way home on more than one occasion. I was lucky that it wasn't anything serious.

My point is that many things can happen before, during, or after school and banning cell phones is an idiotic idea. I agree that it should be restricted but definitly not banned.

If having cell phones in schools can prevent a single child from going missing, I believe it is worth the nuisance.

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Maggie, Downeast Maine — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 04:56:06 GMT

Our school system does not allow cell phones.

This year both my children will attend the same school. It is a combined middle/high school that is over two miles from our home and on a road with no sidewalks where the posted speed limit is 45mph.

Employees of this school refused to allow me to speak to my older child after my car was demolished while I was driving one of her classmates, who had missed the bus, to school. The other driver was an employee of the school, so the child went on to the school with that person. My child,told by her classmate about the accident,was in tears, and begged to call me. She was refused. I was refused because the situation was not deemed an emergency.

Last February my oldest child fell on ice and broke her wrist on our way to her Dad's burial. The orthopedist who set the fracture, and put on a cast, gave specific instructions: NO GYM. Within days of her injuy I received an anonyomous cell phone call, whose user who told me my child was "being picked on." I was allowed to listen to an escalating confrontation between my daughter and her gym teacher because my child refused to participate in gym.

I realize that this is exactly the type of situation that most school systems (and teachers) would decry, but I can't agree that our anonymous caller was in the wrong either. I will be forever grateful to that student.

In January, I was unable to pick up my son and my second grade nephew, who was new to our area. I called the school and asked that the boys be told to take the schoolbus. Neither child was on the bus. I drove to the school, searching for them, and was told that they were never given the message.

It was a day of sub-zero temperature and they had waited to be picked up and then decided to walk. By the time they realized they had made a mistake, they could not call for lack of a cell phone. Fortunately, they were safe, but cold.

I don't think jamming the phone's signal is appropriate either, at any time. It can defeat the purpose of poviding an extra layer of safety to our kids' backpacks. Remember Emily Keyes last words to her father were in a text message from her cell phone!

I guess if you feel safe leaving your child in the care of your school system, that your school system is dependable enough to give them a message if you do need to reach them or even allow you to speak to them in an emergency, then they don't need a cell phone.

Our school system has demonstrated repeatedly the need for my children to have cell phones. And they will!! They will be inexpensive, pre-paids and if they use them for non-emergent reasons, they will lose it!!

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Wayne C. Los Angeles Ca — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:10:19 GMT

Most of you parents are without hope, most of us over the age of 35 did not have phones in school years. I went to school 25 miles from my home, used public transport to and from school and as long as I was home before 6 pm, my time was my own.

Children today have become tied to mums apron strings with cell phones, no independence and no responsability for themselves, after all mom or dad will come running if there is an issue, almost any issue. If I were a teacher and a child shoved a phone in my face, I would say good bye to the parent, turn off the phone, confiscate it and send the child to the principals office, where they could explain to the principal their actions. Also the child could stay there for the rest of the day to ponder their actions.

Teachers should not be harrassed by students. In our school system we had corporal punishment, It taught you not to step out of line, always bring your homework with you and always do your homework. Teachers are there to teach, not police. I remember one occassion where we as a class decided to all not do our homework, all 40 of us in the french class. The teacher usd the cane on all 40 of us, it never happened again.

Thankfully I am not a teacher, for I have old fashioned ideas. Men should open doors for ladies, children should give up seats to their elders etc..

The school and the teachers should proscute children and their parents to the full extent of the law if personal privacy laws are broken, after all the parent is legally responsable for the actions of the child until the child is an adult, or am I wrong here...

Yes I am a parent, I have 2 children one who is mostly responable with her phone and one who can't remember where it is from one minute to the next, including when it is in his pocket when he is swimming.

A useful deterrent for children texting in class would be a bucket of water at the front of the class. If a child is caught texting in class twice, the 3rd time the phone is dropped in the bucket. The child can retrieve it after class, I can promise they won't do it a 4th time.

For parents who think I am mean, I don't care, children have to learn to grow up and be responsible adults. I am an IT Manager for a large company in a US city, personal cell phones are not allowed in the work place, employees are there to work, not chat on the phone, we are not paying them for that. It is the same with our children, they are there to learn, not chat.

I think schools should set standards for phones on their premises, it should be explained to parents during the parent teacher meetings and should have the backing of the PTA. No phones with cameras, are allowed on school property, period. Anyone caught with such a phone will have it confiscated and the child will be suspended for 1 week for the first offence, no exceptions.

Parents may not like it, but as in the office place, the children are there to learn, the parents are not, supposedly they have already done their learning. If a parent does not like, tell them to sue, schools are about rules, and keeping them, not about our childrens rights, they can have those at home, with their parents.

My children have no rights, as I have explained to them many times. They can have rights when they leave home and live on their own. My home, my rules, like it or leave. They are still there, so I guess they like it.

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J.Hall. Philadelphia, PA — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:12:07 GMT

As a School Police Officer for the past 12 years, I'm convinced that many parents don't have a clue of the plurality of distractions that already exist in schools today for students of all ages. Too many parents have no idea what teachers, administrators & other school staff members already go through to try to make the most of the limited time for education we already have in our schools today, without even considering the presence of cell phones. There are many problems that come from the inappropriate use of cell phones in schools that it takes being in the schools regularly to really understand & see the magnitude of a disruptive impact the have on an already challenging educational process. Although they have been told by their parents regularly, students continually take out phones at the wrong times to take pictures with them, show them to friends, send text messages to other students in other classes, and make calls when they incorrectly judge something minor to be an "emergency"! I've also had to deal with situations where students after a fight have called friends from other schools to inappropriately settle matters after school, and this has resulted in many after-school riots that have required City Police intervention and multiple arrests. Lastly, cell phones are almost always the integral link in schools used by the criminals who would deal drugs to your children, and allowing them makes the dealers job of distribution so much easier!
Students have shown that they often aren't capable of correctly assessing what a true emergency is.
Parents have been called up to the school by students who, as young people frequently do, overreact to a minor problem and compound it by thinking that staff & administration has mistreated the student, or violated their rights!
I haven't yet seen a school office that won't respond to a true student emergency, but parents can't assume that they know how their children will always react, because children often act very differently away from their parents and in the presence of their peers. Allowing students to have phones in school is a big mistake, because too many can't handle the responsibility that goes with it!

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Chris, Biloxi, MS — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:17:03 GMT

Why don't we quit with the age discrimination. How many people need cell phones at all? If your time is so occupied that you must talk to someone during your drive, you have issues. If you cannot arrange a meeting place to find your husband in Wal-Mart, instead of using your cell phone like a walkie-talkie, you have issues. They are great for car trouble, but maintenance is better. They are great during an emergency, but often, the many callers overwhelm the service in that area. So, why don't we quit complaining about the behavior of children until we quit being spoiled and lazy.

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Diane Naperville, il. age 48, mom of two — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:32:13 GMT

Regarding the Dan and Jackie debate above, Dan answered it all when he refused to answer her question"Do you have Kids?". No, obviously Dan doesn't. I'll I have to say is Virginia Tech. Remember that incident. The only means of communication those kids had was to text authorities and parents. Thank God for those cell phones. I believe phones should be turned off during school, But forbidden...NO WAY!!! I want my junior high and college student to have ready access to one should a dangerous situation arise. This is not like the good old "cold war days" where a cell phone would have done absolutely no good anyway. This is the day of psychos invading our schools and shooting our children. It's a safety issue. They NEED TO carry them!!!! Don't be an old codger Dan, face the facts...life ain't allpretty anymore. Any link our kids have to the cops and to their parents is essential.

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Wayne C. Los Angeles Ca — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:54:10 GMT

Teachers should not be harrassed by students. In our school system we had corporal punishment, It taught you not to step out of line, always bring your homework with you and always do your homework. Teachers are there to teach, not police. I remember one occassion where we as a class decided to all not do our homework, all 40 of us in the french class. The teacher usd the cane on all 40 of us, it never happened again.

Thankfully I am not a teacher, for I have old fashioned ideas. Men should open doors for ladies, children should give up seats to their elders etc..

The school and the teachers should proscute children and their parents to the full extent of the law if personal privacy laws are broken, after all the parent is legally responsable for the actions of the child until the child is an adult, or am I wrong here...

Yes I am a parent, I have 2 children one who is mostly responable with her phone and one who can't remember where it is from one minute to the next, including when it is in his pocket when he is swimming.

A useful deterrent for children texting in class would be a bucket of water at the front of the class. If a child is caught texting in class twice, the 3rd time the phone is dropped in the bucket. The child can retrieve it after class, I can promise they won't do it a 4th time.

For parents who think I am mean, I don't care, children have to learn to grow up and be responsible adults. I am an IT Manager for a large company in a US city, personal cell phones are not allowed in the work place, employees are there to work, not chat on the phone, we are not paying them for that. It is the same with our children, they are there to learn, not chat.

I think schools should set standards for phones on their premises, it should be explained to parents during the parent teacher meetings and should have the backing of the PTA. No phones with cameras, are allowed on school property, period. Anyone caught with such a phone will have it confiscated and the child will be suspended for 1 week for the first offence, no exceptions.

Parents may not like it, but as in the office place, the children are there to learn, the parents are not, supposedly they have already done their learning. If a parent does not like, tell them to sue, schools are about rules, and keeping them, not about our childrens rights, they can have those at home, with their parents.

My children have no rights, as I have explained to them many times. They can have rights when they leave home and live on their own. My home, my rules, like it or leave. They are still there, so I guess they like it.

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Diane Naperville, Il — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:06:31 GMT

Blah, blah , blah....You people complaining about spoiled kids and lack of control at home and how that pertains to cell phone use is just ridiculous. Once a kid learns how to use a cell phone responsibly and for emergencies, it's time to buy them one. When "true emergencies" happen at school, I'm sorry, but it is impossible to get through to the school. Their lines are jammed with calls . This happened twice while my son was in high school. Once when someone was spotted with a weapon and the school went on "lockdown" and once when there was a tornado. My son is a very RESPONSIBLE kid. HE has NEVER in his 12 years of school recieved so much as a warning from a teacher. There is nothing wrong with the way he's being raised. We counted on that cell phone more than once during his high school years because he had been turned away from the office and not allowed to use the phone when he was sick and vomiting. The problem lies mainly with the teachers. If kids are using them to cheat on tests, I've got a no brainer for all you "brilliant teachers". Collect them, before all tests and pass them back after class. Oh, boo-hoo, it'll take two extra minutes out of your day ! WE parents pay you extremely well...certainly in our schooldistrict (204) in Suburban Chicago. Get over it.
There have always been troublemakers and there have always been respectful kids. You're supposed to be trained to deal with both. If you can't, that's what deans and principles are for. Quit your whining and realize that these nasty cell phones may just save your life one day!!!!! My Son will not go off to college without one and my younger son will have one by the time he's in junior high. That's life in the time of Colombine, Virginis Tech and the Amish schoolhouse. Maybe if some of those innocent girls had a phone at the Amish school they could have texted a police officer and authorities could have saved more lives.

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Teacher, BC, Canada — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:14:31 GMT

The nuts don't fall far from the tree... some of the cell phone calls in my class are from parents... all are non-emergency.
"I thought it was inbetween classes" as I listen to them on the confiscated phone.
I also don't like my classroom videos on youtube.
Pros and Cons, yes, but the Cons clearly outweigh!

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J. Wilson, Springfield, IL — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:23:53 GMT

At the end of last school year, a student brought a loaded hand gun to my daughter's high school. The media began reporting that a student was in the school with a gun when local, county and state law enforcement were called to the scene. The school was placed on lockdown and even though some parents rushed to the scene, they were kept nearly a half block from the school and given no information. The school offices were not answering any phone calls and the only way I was finally able to determine my daughter was safe was through text messaging.

The possession/use of cell phones in a school is an issue that will continue to be debated for quite a while and I see relevance to both sides of the argument. However, as with anything in life, misuse or abuse of a privilege should cause the loss of that privilege and other consequences. Because some students fail to follow the rules is not a good reason for the students who do follow the rules to also suffer the consequences.

It will not be easy to reach a fair consensus on this issue. However, on that June morning earlier this year, I was very glad my daughter's school had not banned cell phones on the school campus.

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Cathy Griffith, South Bend, Indiana — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:11:18 GMT

I belive that kids should be allowed cell phones in school in case of an emergency. I also believe that during school the cell phone should be turned off and in the childs locker. If there is an emergency during school the child should go directly to a teacher, or other responsible adult. If a child needs to contact a parent during school hours, he/she should go the the office or use a payphone inside the school. Cell phones should only be used after school for contacting parents about transportaion or any other questions or concerns.

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Teresa, San Antonio, TX — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:18:30 GMT

There is one company that I am aware of - Disney - that has phones where you can actually set the time your child's phone can and can not be used. I believe you can also program and lock in only the numbers that you want your child to be able to call and receive calls from. I also believe you can choose phones that do not have cameras. If cameras in the classroom are a concern for you or your school, but you still want your child to be able to contact you after school for transportation changes - this may be a good choice.
I also think an option school districts may want to consider is a jamming device for the schools. This would prevent many headaches for the administrators and teachers. The students would be able to use their phones outside the school itself to call their parents and friends before and after school. However, this would mean quite an expense for the school district, which would mean a new school bond = higher taxes!
I taught elementary school for 20 years. The last 5 years, our school district has allowed even elementary students to bring cell phones to school as long as they are turned off and kept in their backpacks during the day. Of course, during that type of a smaller, controlled environment, it was easy to manage. However, I have no idea how the middle and high school teachers handle it!
My high school daughter has had her cell phone taken away because the phone bill has shown us how irresponsible she has been with it at school. Then she started borrowing her friends phones to call me if she had fogotten something and wanted me to bring it to the office. I stopped answering the phone if it was a cell I didn't recognize. Now, if she wants to talk to me during school hours, she has to get a teacher's permission to use their classroom phone. THAT I will answer!

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Tracy, Scottsdale, AZ — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 16:44:45 GMT

I am a former High School and Jr. High teacher. I have done quite a bit of substitute teaching at the Middle and High School level. I can tell you, with absolutely no hesitation, that students are texting their entire class periods. No, it is not only when they have a substitute. Text messaging is an epidemic. I'm sorry to tell you this, but if you think students are not texting while teaching in the room is occuring, you're wrong. Parents, if you text your student during class time, whether you feel it is necessary or not, it is still a distraction to their education. You are not doing your child a service by allowing text messaging to go on during the school day. Please take time to realistically evaluate whether your message really needs to get to the student during class time. If you have an actual emergency, the school staff will go out of its way to get the message to your kid! Teenagers and young adults are now so used to texting all the time that they're doing it while driving! Here in PHX, a 18 year old girl was about to begin her new life in college. She was texting while driving, crossed the center line, hit a woman driving towards her, and both died. Two families lives are now shattered. Please reconsider your decision to allow text messaging to be such a huge part of your children's lives!

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JD, Scottsdale, AZ — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 18:36:07 GMT

Cat, Scottsdale, the FTC mandated years ago that ALL cellphones have location capability. Typically this is not done with GPS, but rather by signal triangulation within three towers, though many do it with GPS now as well. You can do it yourself for free. Go here.
http://www.sat-gps-locate.com/english/index.html

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Concerned parent from Winfield IL — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 19:59:07 GMT

It's me - The Concerned parent from Winfield Illinois, CUSD 200 - Wheaton, Illinois schools.

My child was in a Tornado, on a School Bus, last Thursday - with her Cell Phone, which is always kept in her backpack.

Number 1 - She wouldn't have been on that bus during the storm, if the "Brilliant PHD Principal" at the middle school didn't dismiss school 10 minutes early to try and "beat the storm".

Number 2 - I found my daughter blocks from our house, walking toward home, because the "brilliant" Laidlaw Bus Company dropped our children off at an un-authorized bus stop becuase there were trees and power lines down, and the bus driver told the children they were safer walking home, than staying on the bus.

My daughter, with her cell phone, was able to tell me where she was, and I was able to pick her up, after the storm was over.

My child knows that Cell phones are not allowed to be used during class, or in school. She has never abused that privelege. She knows it's for emergency uses only. Tornado's rank up there in my book for Emergency Use.

By the way - the Schools had no phones, due to NO POWER, for 3 days. In no way shape or form, were the parents advised that our kids were being let out of school 10 minutes early. The children should have been taken care of by our school teachers and administrators, and should have been sheltered by the storm in the secure, reinforced concrete structure (i.e.) the School.

Both my children will be well equipped with a cell phone in the future, because their safety is number one with me.

It's so obvious our school district just didn't care.

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Jessica, Hendersonville, TN — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 03:57:54 GMT

I think that kids are going to have them on them even if that's the rule. At my school, you can have them on grounds but only if they are in your care or locker. Still, kids carry them in their pockets as a saftey or even emergency's. Yes you can use the office phone but you might not be near the office when a tornado hits or you become in danger.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Roseville, MI — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 20:39:01 GMT

My kids don't leave the house without their cell phones and that's my rule. People who think the times haven't changed since we grew up in the 60's and 70's are blind. Parents and children need to have cell phones so a line of communication is always available. It's up to parents to enforce rules as to the usage of the phones.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

DLM, Terre Haute, Indiana — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:35:54 GMT

This topic makes me more convinced than ever that my husband and I are right to homeschool our children. They are 12 and 7 and we never have to worry about how dangerous their school might be, or whether their activities will change or how to "find" them, and they never have to worry about where we are or how to find us. We know their friends and their friends' parents, and we all know how to contact each other if necessary.

If the world is so busy, and schools so dangerous, that children living the lives of busy executives or athletes "must" have cell phones to be safe, we will continue to choose keeping our children in a less-busy, less-dangerous world -- that of OUR choosing.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Ellen Bilofsky, Brooklyn, NY — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 16:43:26 GMT

Many of the comments here misunderstand the issue. No one is supporting the use of cell phones in schools. The issue is students having them to use before and after school. School systems that have banned possession of cell phones (even in lockers), as they have in New York City, have effectively banned students from having them, even if they have an hour's commute each way on the subway, if there are no pay phones in or around the school, if parents are not home, etc.

Many people look back to the days when we were in school when there were no cell phones. Well, years ago, most students had the stereotypical moms who didn't work, who had the milk and cookies waiting. They didn't travel on their own on public transportation at an early age. (In New York City, many 11-year-olds do not attend a local school.) I won't argue whether times are or aren't worse today, although for me, the experience of having a child evacuated from school (and left to fend for herself in unfamiliar streets) a few blocks from Ground Zero cemented my opinion on the necessity for cell phones in case of emergencies.

But please get the issue right. Times HAVE changed, and there is a greter need for communication BEFORE and AFTER school.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Diane Kendall — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 15:36:38 GMT

Just wanted to ask those who suggest here that kids should use a pay phone to go find one. They have disappeared off the landscape, so to speak, and I think you would be hard pressed to find one in local high school as well. Personally, I'm glad my teenage son has one as a new driver and to let me know when to pick him up at school because the time changes every day. I do think that kids cannot learn to use cell phones and other technology resposibly unless they are allowed to have them and then are made by schools and parents to follow the rules. Goodness only knows that there are very few good role models when it comes to cell phones for example. I was almost hit yesterday by a young Mom chatting away on her cell phone with a young baby in the back seat of her car. You have to wonder what that kid will think she or he can do with a cell phone when he or she gets old enough to have one.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Dee — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:03:31 GMT

I would say that the one benefit to not having your children rely on cell phones is that they learn VERY QUICKLY to be organized, to manage their time well, and to plan ahead. I never allowed my daughter to have a cell phone all through high school, and I only got one for myself when my job required me to about three years ago. We were forced to communicate with each other daily to coordinate our schedules - it was rare that something last-minute and urgent would come up. If she was going on a school trip, she had to give me all the details IN ADVANCE so we could arrange to pick her up, etc., instead of being "on call" for whenever the bus rolled in. I am amazed at how many parents are "on call" for their children and will drop everything at a moment's notice to take their kids their homework which they left at home, or take them money because they forgot lunch, or whatever other "emergency" that their children aren't taught to be responsible for. So they never learn to be responsible for themselves, because mom or dad will always rush to the rescue. If my daughter forgot her lunch money, she knew better than to call me and expect me to drop everything to take care of her mistake. She is now working on her master's degree and just recently bought a cell phone, which she hardly ever uses because she is so good at planning in advance and understanding what truly constitutes an emergency. Her boss recently promoted her even though she doesn't have her degree yet because she is such a responsible employee and never has excuses, I mean "emergencies" that keep her from getting to work on time, or reasons to rush off to her child's school to drop off x or y.

The part that really bugs me is that I had to implement a rule with my employees to limit their cell phone use in the office, and they are all adults!! They take every phone call from their child, their wife, their husband, their sister, mother, friend, whoever, and so much time from the day was being wasted on these phone calls. So it's not just our children - we need to look at our own dependence on cell phones! I finally just got tired of hearing all the little ringtones constantly going off, especially when every single desk is equipped with a phone. If I can teach my husband to only call me during lunch or in case of an emergency, I see no reason to have the same expectation of the rest of my staff.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Dee — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 18:09:32 GMT

Oh, and I forgot to add something quite ironic: my secretary actually asked me for time off one day because she had to go to her son's middle school, and it was an emergency. I told her of course, and asked if everything was OK. She said she had to go because her son's cell phone had been confiscated because he was using it in class, and as the parent she had to go get it for him. That, to her, was an emergency and required her to immediately forsake her job to go retrieve that cell phone! Needless to say, I said no. She went during her lunch hour instead.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Relieved and Content Alaska Mom of Happy Now-collegians with Cell Phones — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 15:19:20 GMT

Given the weather extremes here of darkness and severe cold, near-emergencies and emergencies can happen more than one would like to think, and the peace of mind of a cell-phone is quite helpful. My own parents urged me to get one after the rescue of some folks trapped in an avalanche. Youngest has been our only secondary school child to have, since she was 16 and we had special "freebie" phone. Our high school's reasonable rules include usage ONLY during lunchtime, in the cafeteria, during school hours. Before and after, on the bus, etc, is fine. We have not had a problem with exam cheating, class interruptions. We have received calls when there were problems like no school bus arriving in minus 20 weather, with child calling before we were too far gone to work. Browser disabled, kids do not pay for text messages, except in response to me or grandparents; they save(d) their $ for college.
Now scattered in schools across the country, all of the kids keep in touch regularly, with us, each other, and our parents, in a way not possible with phone cards in dormitories, nor pay phones, nor letters.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Brie, Groveland, Florida — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 21:05:17 GMT

Speaking as a student I'd like to address the fact that cell phones will be used no matter what you say. You think that if you tell them no they'll listen and not put up a fight for a right. I'm in 7th grade and my middle schools almost always in lockdown becuse of crime in the area. Whenever we're late to be picked up our parents are going crazy! A girl in class decided that during a lockdown that was going on 20 minutes she'd call her mom and tell her she'd be late. But my teacher wouldn't let her, plus, it was the LAST DAY of 6th grade.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Olivia, Louisville, KY — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 18:55:50 GMT

As a student, I can honestly say that having my cell phone during class has been a major distraction for me. Even though I loved the fact that I could get away with it, I still believe that what i did was wrong. I'm really tired of hearing mommys and daddys complain that they cannot reach their children during the school day. It's rediculous, especially for high school students. They are big boys and girls, now. Pleas elet them GROW UP! It's not only an issue when it comes to learning, but also respect. Teachers work very hard to put a lesson together and it's rude when students aren't paying attention because they are on their phone. I work with kids at my job. I now understand why they act the way that they do. It's because parents today baby their children too much and make excuses for them to do thing that they know are wrong. I'll come right out and say that I cannot think of one time, in all of my school days, when I ABSOLUTELY NEEDED my cell phone while in class. If an emergency came up, my parents would contact the school office and get me out of class. Overall, I am disgusted with these sad excuses parents are making for their children. Be a parent and teach them right from wrong.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Samuel, Norfolk, Virginia — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 12:22:21 GMT

This is stupid. Parents: Your child is not safer with a cell hpone on them. Say your child gets attacked by a mob of other students. DO YOU THINK for 1 second that they will call you on there cell phone? NO
I am a student in high school. It doesnt make a differecne if they have one or not. I have a cell phone, its off, in my pocket, all day. I can live without it. I don't need it. If someone trys to fight me, my 1st reaction isnt going to call my mom or dad for help. Its going to be to fight back. Parents that think their child has to have a cell phone in school don't know how it can effect their kids education.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Leslie Medows Plainfield Illinois — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 05:23:30 GMT

I feel much better knowing my son has his cell phone with him. He drives to school. He turns it off at school and then leaves it in his pocket, only the school district states it must be off and in your locker. I undeerstand not using the phone during your school day, but to put it in your locker when you may need it for an emergency makes no sence. It states in the student hand book that students are not allowed to receive calls from their parents during the day, or make calls to their parents unles they have permission from their dean. Pay phones can only be used before or after school hours. Makes no sence to me. As long as your child does not have it on or is using it, why can't they carry it in their pocket or backpack?

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

winnipeg manitoba — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 19:19:31 GMT

i think that a cell phones are a good thing because they can teach responsibility because a cell phone bill can go very hi these days so i still think that a cell phones can teach responsibility but that we should have one rule in the schools is that kids should not be used in the class rooms but they should be able to used them in the school be after school and out of the school so i asked you this do u think that are kids should have a cell phone? yes or no
i think yes how about you

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

jc, cebu city, philippines — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 10:54:56 GMT

uhm...that's a good argument. Well, thanks cause i have now more informations in my research about this topic....now i can have a good defense on my debate in school! rock on!

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

Mark, manhattan, nyny — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 11:32:45 GMT

As a high school teacher I can honestly confirm that teaching while the class is constantly playing with their phones is a total nightmare. The students may as well be watching tv or something equally as distracting. We have a cell phone ban in our school district but this does nothing to control kids still using their phones. I recently bought a gadget called the phonebuster which is a mobile detector. I confisgated 8 phones within the first 5 minutes of class; they were amazed that I could track them when their phones were on silent mode. I quietly laughed to myself that whole afternoon. The kids no longer bug me with their phones in class as they know I can catch them out with this device.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

untold, untold, untold — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 21:39:46 GMT

Hell , i am a sixth grader in ohio and i had no idea that cell phones in school could be so important but a horrible problem. I am actually writting a persuasive essay on this topic as well. at my school students in the sixth grade do NOT have locked lockers so it can become a great problem of where you place it. My friend had her cell phone stolen from OUR locker we shared and it was a great scare for her, she had no idea where it could have gone to. It turned out some one she knew had gotten into her back pack and stolen it. I was very greatful i had my cell phone in my pocket.

by the way, thank you and your perspective really helped me out!

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

jazmine, wyoming. — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:22:52 GMT

As a student i find it difficult not to carry my cell phone with me. I do not use it during class time, and actually i find it quite annoying when i see other students texting in class. However i do not think there should be a ban because i need my phone with me after school. My mom always calls me when she is almost at school, so i dont have to wait outside in the cold. Sometimes i have to stay after school do get some work done, how else would i be able to notify my mom that i don't need to be picked up till later? Cell phones are needed, and even though they should not be used in the classroom we should still allow them in school.

Live From Studio 1A: Ban Cell Phones in School?

ML, California — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:44:23 GMT

My child is 12 turning 13 and she has a cell phone. We set the rule that she is not allowed to call her friends, give out her number, text her friends except to call my husband and I. She has had the cell phone for 2 years now and she has followed the rules. The phone is for her to use as an emergency or call us only!! Other parents just need to set the rules and make sure their kids adhere to them. It they don't, then take the phone away. As simple as that. Why the difficult decision on this. Just educating them to do the right thing. That's all! You all must be unlucky to have bad kids.