Should cell phones be allowed in school? They could be used for safety reasons but they are also being used for harassment and drug deals.
Should students be allowed to carry cell phones in schools? Elissa Gootman of The New York Times reports that some schools say "yes" but New York City schools say "no."
The City Department of Education has decided that students may not carry cellphones in school. The action sent many angry e-mail messages to the chancellor.
Schools have restricted cell phones from school for years. Students are talking on the telephone instead of taking notes in math class. Some students are arranging deliveries of meth while in study hall. Others are taking pictures of classmates in the bathroom or gym locker area in compromising positions for future harassment. Are cellphones truly needed for educational purposes?
Students have had cellphones in bookbags for years and have not disrupted classes. The phones were a backup for safety. Many were turned off during school hours and turned on after school. But, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced recently that police would start making surprise visits to middle and high schools throughout the city to search for cellphones. Others are pleading for reason stating that students should be allowed to have them in school as long as they are shut off while in school.
ACLU
We all knew the ACLU would soon be involved. The American Civil Liberties Union met with a Parent Advisory Council to consider a lawsuit against the schools of New York City.
Cell phones can be a great invention but do they belong in a school? Most schools say "no."
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Copyright article 2006 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
