Cell Phones and School Safety

Phone Calls and Text Messaging Disruptions Extend Beyond Classroom

Aug 21, 2009

Student cell phones are considered disruptive in the classroom. They are also being found to hinder safety efforts during a school crisis.

A heated debate in education is whether or not students should be allowed to have cell phones in school. The two more prominent sides of the discussion are the disruptive potential in the classroom verses student safety.

Many faculty and staff members find themselves constantly enforcing cell phone policies while students try to hide the devices, yet parental concerns about student safety during emergencies allow the devices to continue coming to school. Experience is showing that cell phones in the hands of students can not only be disruptive but also dangerous.

Cell Phones and Classroom Disruptions

Cell phones and texting are known classroom disrupters. Though most students remember to put the phone on vibrate or silent while at school, some will constantly check to see if there is a new message, thus distracting themselves, and those nearby, during classroom instruction and activities. Texting and cell phone cameras are also convenient cheating methods being used by students.

Camera Phones and School Disruptions

Student camera phones are tied in with the rising concerns about sexting, or the sending of illicit photos using a cell phone. This practice is primarily amongst teens and the images are sometimes taken or sent during school hours or events.

The National School Safety and Security Services, headed by school safety expert, Ken Trump, notes that cell phones have been tied into other school disruptions, too. One activity is calling in a bomb threat, which disrupts classes, cannot be traced if the caller uses a cell phone, and can be dangerous in the presence of an actual bomb since the frequencies used for both devices are similar and may cause the bomb to detonate. Another is the spreading of rumors of violence, which have been tied to creating more anxiety than actual events.

Cell Phone Use and School Crisis

Information collected by the National School Safety and Security Services reveals potential dangers to allowing students to have cell phones at school. Besides the quick spread of rumors which might prompt parents to pull their children out of school early, students in possession of a cell phone during a drill or an actual crisis have overloaded the phone systems. Whereas students are texting or calling to make sure friends are okay and family members know what is going on, their activities ultimately make it difficult for crisis team members to communicate and increase the danger during an real threat.

It is up to schools whether or not to permit cell phones and under what conditions. Besides considering the efforts necessary to enforce the policies, schools also should consider how much of a potential danger student cell phone use can pose in a time of crisis or cause by spreading rumors during school hours.

The copyright of the article Cell Phones and School Safety in Educational Issues is owned by Tammy Andrew. Permission to republish Cell Phones and School Safety in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.