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| Another Reason to Ban Cell Phones in School | |
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| Topic Started: Nov 12 2007, 09:50 PM (534 Views) | |
| Post #1 Nov 12 2007, 09:50 PM |
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Some students are using audio and video recording features to record teachers and administrators, sometimes edit the media files, and the post them on youtube. In most states, such activity is a felony. I used to have a policy that I did not care if anyone recorded my classes, as long as they told everyone in advance and no one objected (making the recording legal in Alabama). My new policy is no recording. Period. We will be having a shakedown tomorrow. Lockers, bookbags, purses, pockets... The message will be sent. No cell phones in the building during school hours. Again, period. Students who have never had a phone confiscated can pick it up at the end of the day. Students who have had one confiscated before must have the phone picked up by a parent. Students who have had one confiscated twice before will be suspended. All schools need to have a no-cell-phone policy. |
Administrator
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| Post #2 Nov 13 2007, 12:27 AM |
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I agree that students' uses of cell phones in schools are way out of control. They are also used for helping others cheating on tests with text messages. But, one of the most important reasons that some parents buy their children cell phones is Columbine. While it won't make any difference when the bullets are flying whether or not a student has a cell phone, the parents want to know that they can call their children and find out if they are safe if or when something like that happens. In addition, a student may be able to more readily get a hold of 911. Just a thought about what you may be up against. Good luck. :blink: BTW: Are you by any chance on YouTube courtesy of one of your brilliant students? :D |
Civilian
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| Post #3 Nov 13 2007, 08:17 AM |
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No, to the best of my knowledge, I have not been featured. I think Columbine is a lousy reason for students to have cell phones. Teachers, yes. Students, no. Actually, hundreds of students calling 911 would be counter-productive. A few teachers calling would be much more useful. |
Administrator
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| Post #4 Nov 13 2007, 09:44 AM |
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| Legal or illegal, recording and posting people without their permission on youtube (or anything like it) is morally wrong. Schools should have rules that include suspension for that behavior! |
Civil Servant
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| Post #5 Nov 13 2007, 09:53 AM |
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Also, I concur that Columbine is not a sufficient reason to allow cell phones in school - the rarity of something like that happening combined with the 911 breakdown if 2,00 calls go through simulataneously are both valid arguments agaist that reasoning. While I absolutely would support it if our school went back to a no cell phone policy, it would be a pain in the butt for my family becuase cell phones have become so prevalent that there are very few working phones around for kids to use (no pay phones on every corner like when I was a kid). I think it would be better to have a strict policy of cell phones not being allowed to be turned on without permission. This policy needs to be accompanied by severe penalties for infractions. Would consistent, significant punishment of offenders make more sense than banning reasonable use of a useful device? Taking something away for fear bad kids will misuse it denies the good students the ability to learn to use it responsibly (and won't the bad kids just do what they want anyway? |
Civil Servant
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| Post #6 Nov 13 2007, 03:40 PM |
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I understand what you are saying about the Columbine reasoning. I just remember hearing on the news about that time when parents all started giving their kids cell phones. These days kids don't NEED cell phones as bad as they think they do. The coolest newest cell phone is more of a status symbol than a safety device. At my son's school (5th grade) kids are not allowed to use office phones. There used to be a pay phone but it was removed. The staff's objective is to help students to become more responsible for themselves, so that when they forget their homework or their lunch, they will go without and remember better next time rather than call mom or dad and have them SYA. If a parent calls for their child, they have to leave a message. They will only call a student to the office to answer a call if it is an emergency. I have no problem with these rules. I would have no problem with my child not being able to keep his cell phone (if or when he gets one.) After all, what did people do before there were cell phones? |
Civilian
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| Post #7 Nov 13 2007, 10:32 PM |
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We have a strict policy against students having cell phones. That did not stop half of my first period class from having cell phones this morning. For my own information, I told the students that they had one free chance to turn in their cell phones to the office today. Half the class got up and turned in a phone to the office. If they can't follow a you-can't-have-one policy, why would we expect them to follow a you-can't-turn-it-on policy? Any student may turn his phone into the office at the beginning of the day and get it back at the end of the day. Students who drive are allowed to leave them in their car. I see no valid reason why that would not make a cell phone available to all students for any legitimate needs. |
Administrator
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| Post #8 Nov 13 2007, 11:25 PM |
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That seems reasonable to me... as long as they can have access to them if they have a legitimate need for it. But then the question becomes, What constitutes a "legitimate need?" :D :P See where this might be going? Perhaps in the same direction as the no hug policy? God forbid that a school staff member will have to make a common sense judgment call on what to allow since the policy might not be specific enough or might not be blanket enough. I don't envy you, Eye. I don't envy you a bit. :rolleyes: |
Civilian
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| Post #9 Nov 13 2007, 11:28 PM |
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My question would be, why won't the students follow the policy? Is it becuase parents won't support the school when penalties are applied? Is it because penalties are too weak? too unfairly enforced? Is it because we don't hold childrem (or adults) responsible for their actions when they are young so they never learn? It would be fascinating to have a school where there are less rules, but they are ALL enforced at ALL times (using reasonable judgement - which parents have to agree to not sue about). We have international affairs magnet schools, music and dance schools and math/science magnet schools. How about a personal responsbility / ethics magnet school? |
Civil Servant
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| Post #10 Nov 13 2007, 11:33 PM |
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I cannot think of a single legitimate need for a student's cell phone during the day. What I meant by the phone being available for a legitimate need was after school if Mom is late picking the kid up. During school kids have too many things they should be doing to ever be on the cell phone. If a true emergency arises, the kind that happens for the entire school population less than once a week, there is the office phone. |
Administrator
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| Post #11 Nov 13 2007, 11:37 PM |
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Because parents these days generally do not teach their kids to follow rules. |
Administrator
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| Post #12 Nov 14 2007, 12:49 AM |
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And because kids will try to see what they can get away with. And yes, some kids are allowed to get away with too much. |
Civilian
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| Post #13 Nov 14 2007, 01:00 PM |
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| I still vote for a magnet school for respnsible citizenship: In my perfect school, the parents would have to interview and send resumes... |
Civil Servant
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| Post #14 Nov 14 2007, 04:29 PM |
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That is the nature of the beast. It is the reason children must have parents for 20-odd years. The problem is the ever-increasing number of children without parents. The kids have elders who birthed and who warehouse them. They just don't have parents. |
Administrator
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| Post #15 Jan 20 2008, 12:25 PM |
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| Benning cell phones, to me, seems like a blanket, zero tolerance rule with fixed consequences, something many argued against in another thread here. I went to a pretty big high school and used my cell phone often. After school I'd find friends, I'd order pizza and Chinese food at lunch, i'd make calls in between classes, etc. It seems reasonable to confiscate cell phones when they're being used to disrupt the class or play games or cheat on a test, but if they're sitting in someone's pocket on vibrate or just plain off I don't see the problem. It's definately okay to use cell phones after school, but if the kid doesn't go straight home after classes his or her options for communication are limited because a few of the hundred million cell phones out there were used to make videos to put on youtube. |
Civilian
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| Post #16 Jan 20 2008, 09:12 PM |
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| Having grown up way before cell phones and pagers - we all survived without them. We didn't even have answering machines or call waiting when I was growing up. I think kids should try and live the way we did - walking uphill in both directions, barefoot in the snow to school. Just kidding on that last part - something the generation before me likes to say when us youngins' are complaining about how hard it is today. |
Civil Servant
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