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Posted by Barbara Pytel Apr 20, 2007 |
Italy
The Italian government has issued a formal ban on cell phones used in school. What will be done if students are caught with cell phones?
- Phones will be confiscated.
- Students may be denied taking exams.
What prompted this action? Students all over the world are not using cell phones for "safety" reasons as many parents assume. Students are using the cell phones to have chats from one classroom to another while teachers are teaching. Cell phones are being used for cheating on exams. In locker rooms, cell phones are being used to take pictures of students dressing or in showers and put on MySpace that night for the world to see. This is cyber-bullying and students can be charged with harassment. Students are also making themselves and others vulnerable to the thousands of sexual predators on line waiting for fresh targets.
The final button was pushed in Italy when the following videos shot on cell phones were put on the internet:
- Harassment of a disabled student
- A teacher being sexually harassed by students
- Provoking fights inside the school building for YouTube
- Attacks upon teachers by students
Education Minister Giuseppe Fioroni said, "Something must be done before schools are destroyed by delinquents." [cellular-news.com, March 19, 2007]
New York City
Schools in New York City have banned cell phones in school and are now being sued by the ACLU and parents. Obviously, the parents that are suing do not realize the problems that cell phones are causing.
More Issues
Students may lose college scholarships or graduation awards because of MySpace or YouTube postings. Rates of suicide in the United States are up and harassment has been linked to some of them. This is an issue that will soon be dealt with by every school district in the country.
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.