While some schools are banning cell phones in schools, Nashville, TN administrators are handing out cell phones to student leaders at school expense. Why?

The Rationale

Students often see trouble brewing before a situation actually happens. Administrators may not be where the action is at the time. So, in a large school, how can students prevent violence? What if they could alert administration of dangers before the event became a major disruption? Nashville administration is attempting to encourage students to talk to principals to keep the school environment safe and conducive for learning. Jaime Sarrio of The Tennessean explains this experiment.

Who Gets the Phones?

Students selected to be on the Metro's student advisory council are the only ones allowed to use cell phones during the school day. Three are selected per high school with possibly up to 50 phones being used in the city's schools.

What are the details?

• Written parental permission must be obtained.
• Phones are collected at the end of the school year.
• Students receive 500 minutes per month.
• No text messaging is allowed.
• Students are responsible for any overage charges or personal calls.

And, The Other Students?

Other students may bring cell phones to school but may not use them during the school day. No text messaging and no sending photos. Other schools, such as New York City, do not allow cell phones in school at all.

Student Requirements

How are students selected for receiving a cell phone? Class presidents could be selected or student council members. But, average students showing good leadership could also be chosen. Students are encouraged to talk to each other to discuss potential problems, plan meetings and, of course, phone in potential problems.

The Cost

Ralph Thompson, Asst. Superintendent, says the phones cost $11 to $15 per cell phone, per month. The maximum cost per month is $390 for the minutes. The Cricket phone company donated the phones. It is hoped to have local businesses help with the other expenses.

No, Thanks

Not everyone thinks this is a great idea. James Evans, spokesman for the Rutherford district, says there are no plans to allow cell phones in the district. "There's too many issues with camera phones in locker rooms and cheating on tests."

Dave Burton, director of safety for Wilson County Schools, thinks there are better ways to keep violence down in schools. "Obviously, they're a bigger school system, but I just don't see where that is going to be a very successful deterrent or safety measure today when technology is so readily available for those students," he said. "Also, if another student sees this one calling, he may be seen as a reporter, and that may also have some negative implications for that student."

The Origin

This cell phone idea is not original to Nashville. The idea came from administrators in Chattanooga who first tried cell phones and were happy with the results.

Three cell phones per large high school is not very many. And, it is quite probable that student leaders may be taking classes less likely to have problems within the classrooms. But, we will wait and see what the results will be. At least they are trying new ideas and being proactive.

Read previous articles on Educational Issues.

Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.