The thread on Cameras in Schools got me thinking about this. This debate also came up after the shootings at Columbine.

The advantages are obvious:

1: If there is a school shooting, you have easy access to a phone.
2: If you need to call home because you forgot something, you don't have to waste money on payphones

Disadvantages:

1: Distraction. School is for learning and not for playing.
2: The new cell phones with cameras would be a big privacy problem.


So what's your view?
Should cell phones be allowed in school?

No, I don't believe so. I got through school without ever using a mobile phone. How many kids really do use the thing to ring home, and don't use it to instead send text messages to other people, or keep themselves occupied playing games during a boring lecture?

If the kid doesn't have the money for a pay phone, and it's urgent, I'm certain the school admin/office section would accommodate them with one of their phones.

Cell phones do not belong in the classroom. Perhaps a student
could store it in his/her locker while in class. It would be too much
of a distraction to have tons of cell phones ringing and occupying
kids' attention while the teacher is trying to teach.

P.S. Handy to have in case of a school shooting?
What are the odds (statistically speaking) of that?

When people forget to turn them off, yes, it's very annoying and mildly disruptive. But adults aren't the only people who have emergencies, or who need to be accessible at all times, and I think it's idiotic to say that just because someone is in school, that they don't. I think cell phones should be allowed in school, especially when teachers are allowed to have them.

I tend to disagree with you your opinion. I think cell phones should be allowed in school, but only under special circumstances. Students should have to have them off all day long. Otherwise students might start playing games or text messaging friends during important classes.

And as stated earlier, I highly agree that it is annoying to hear ring tones going on and off all day long when you are trying to concentrate on your studies. But if cell phones were kept off all day long, we would not have this type of problem.

Cell phones should be allowed on before, and after school hours. Students might need rides home from school or sporting events. A student may decide to stay after school and get some help with his or her studies and might have to call their mom or dad to let them know.

Parents might also feel safer if their children have cell phones with them. In the case of an emergency, a parent would be able to contact their child immediately. This would cause less worrying on the parents part, and they would feel at ease knowing that their child is out of harms way.

Just because teachers are allowed to have them doesn't mean that students have the same right. Someone has to be in charge and hopefully that is the teacher. Youngsters are so used to having everything their way,that they forget who is in charge. The student is there to get an education,not questioning whether they can have cellphones or not.

So my answer is that they should not be allowed to have cellphones in school.

students bringing phones to class should be made to turn them off during class. If they ring and disrupt they ought to be taken away.

Most, if not all classrooms are equipped with telephones for teachers. every parent knows or SHOULD know that in the event of a real emergency, in which a student needs be notified, a call to the main office first is the right course of action.

But... if they have the cell phones off during the day, the only time parents can contact them is after school. If the parents can wait until after school, they can just as easily wait until their child gets home.

There's also the problem of enforcing the "all cell phones off" rule when students can easily turn the sounds off.

Really, if it's urgent, I'm sure most school offices can receive any messages and would be willing to allow students to make calls, if they don't have any money for pay phones.

Popeye, it is hypocritical for a school to allow teachers to have them and not students. Students are human beings like everyone else, and they have emergencies as well, as well as many practical reasons for needing a cell phone. Yes, someone has to be in charge. How is allowing students to have cell phones undermining the teacher's authority? Then you label all students to have forgotten who was in charge. Youngsters are so out of control and disrespectful these days; I'm sure when you were in school, no one ever misbehaved. The last I heard, there wasn't any giant movement of students, disrupting classes to stage protests to allow them to have cell phones in school. Just because they're in school, you think they shouldn't question rules they think are unreasonable? I'm sorry, I wouldn't want to live in a society who schools its people to unquestionably accept everything. I lost my cell phone over a year ago, and I've had to spent a nice little bit of change to make calls ever since. It's nice to be able to call your parents and say "I didn't finish this test during the bell, so I'm staying after school to do so." Many students use the cell phones for good purposes, and the ones who don't should have them confiscated. I don't think it's reasonable to prohibit all students from having them based on the possible misconduct of a few.

I still think students shouldn't be allowed to have cellphones.

And I think you made a point in my favor. You said 'youngsters are so out of control and disrespectful these days'. You answered your question. Youngsters are disrespectful and out of control because they are used to getting their way. They want cellphones and we say,sure honey, whatever you want. We try to appease them instead of the teachers being the authority.

Yes we had less behavior problems when I was going to school compared to now. Why,because there were some rules and someone with some authority,unlike now.

When I said "youngsters are so out of control and disrespectful these days" I was being sarcastic. You seem to imagine schools nowadays as being a sort of zoo, with students in the classrooms jumping on desks and the teacher cowering defenselessly in a corner. The reason you believe students shouldn't have cellphones is because they want them, so to show them who's boss we shouldn't allow them? Your stance is to make a point, so no matter what valid reasons students have for wanting the cellphones, you simply want to deprive them of something they want because you think all kids are spoiled and selfish and need discipline.
That's not a very nice thing to do.
No one is trying to "appease" anyone. You obviously haven't been in school for a very long time, and I'm in school right now. I think this would make me a slightly better expert on what goes on in school, and it's nothing like you imagine. You are basing your opinions on an outlandish view of public schools, and that's not fair. Geez, no one is asking to abolish rules on student conduct, or drug policies, or anything that would make the schools unsafer and give the students more power. Students get in situations where they need to contact people immediately. Cell phones are a method of doing this. Taking away this method for everyone because of the possibility of a few abusing it is unreasonable. Taking away this method simply because you want to deprive them of something they want is childish.

My son graduated a yr. ago from high school. He was not allowed to a have a cell phone at that time. But in fact he did. He kept it on vibration. He did not have a car working at the time so on my lunch he would call and I would pick him up and take him to work. If he had to use a pay phone that was not his cell he would of had to have charged it to my phone. That would of cost even more money.
They now allow cell phones at his school and I think they should.
They are not allowed to have them on but in between classes and going to another they can check to see if there is a message.
And there were times I did leave a message to say I would be a couple mins. late and he felt more secured knowing I was ok but would be there a couple mins late.
You don't need that phone to be one. Just be able to check a message if there is one. I think it a good idea!

Most of us managed to get through school without cell phones, laptops, PDAs, etc. and it didn't kill us. And we had the same emergencies, people just called the office and someone went to the classroom and got us. Nobody is so busy that they need to be in constant contact with everyone every second of the day. Cell phones are handy, but hardly a requirement and they should not be permitted in schools, period.

For schools I dont have a problem with students having cell phones as long as they are not being used during class. I would not go as far as to say turn them off rather have on vibrate mode so that you know if you have a message you can check after class is over. Even though this could still be a distraction sometimes emergencies come up and why not use the technology we have to make life easier.

At one point people lived with no electricity, and it did not kill them either. Should we get rid of everything that isn't life or death? Just because something is not essential for survival doesn't mean it's not convenient. There is no reason students should not have cel phones, as long as they keep them on vibrate during class.

One of these days when you mature more you will realize that an old fashioned person makes sense. Now at your age I don't really expect you to understand. I have a daughter who just graduated from high school, and yes I do know what goes on in schools. So please don't make assumptions when you don't know the whole story.

My stance is still the same regarding cellphones in schools. A lot of it was based on my daughters views. And contrary to what you say, discipline is definitely a problem in most schools. It isn't out of control,but teachers are not respected as they should be.

I'd need some stats to back up your assertion that "discipline is definitely a problem in most schools." Even if it were, taking away cell phones from people who want to use them for valid reasons in no way helps this "widespread" problem of teacher disrespect. How the hell are cell phones and teacher disrespect related? Allowing students to have cell phones in school will somehow lead to more unstable classrooms? I don't understand the basis of your fears.
Thank you for using my age as a reason to dismiss my opinions as being wrong. You're, gratefully, only the second person on this site to do that. I'd expect more from a member of America's Debate, but I know no one's perfect. I'm so young and immature, what the hell do I know anyway? You wise old people know everything.

IMO, that statement is idiotic on levels I cannot even begin to touch. What exactly is an old fashioned person, and what makes sense about them? As far as I know there have been entirely different people through all time periods. That statement says absolutely nothing, and in fact is a way of you saying that a person exactly like YOU makes sense.

Back to the topic, what happens if students have phones that are set on vibrate? What it the impact of that? Other than the fact that its something they want and don't have, so THERE!

To answer your question just in case you don't have a dictionary:

1old–fash•ioned \"old-"fa-shend\ adj 1 : out-of-date, antiquated 2 : conservative

In other words my ideas are so outdated that people like you love to make fun of us and use words like idiotic . I assume you were trying to impress me with all your liberal wisdom. And all I have is a few gray hairs and dumb as an ox.

And since I have been criticized and put down as an old worthless,old fashioned person, I probably will be reprimanded again for truthfully answering yours and Suzys questions.

Have a pleasant night and sweet dreams

I know what the word means. What I am saying, is that its just a label that doesn't mean anything, just a way of promoting the generation gap. EVERY generation has its geniuses, its idiots, its thugs, its liers, its "saints", its respectful, its disrespectful, disciplined and undisciplined. Like I said, meaningless label. And you also did not answer either one of my questions, "what is an old fashioned person, "how does the old faishioned person make sense", and the ACTUAL QUESTION PERTAINING TO THE TOPIC.

Indeed, it would be ridiculous to allow cell phones in the
classroom. What is soooo important that it cannot wait
until the end of the schoolday, or at the very least, the
end of the class?

Imagine what a distraction it would be to have dozens
of cell phones ringing while the (underpaid, overworked)
teacher is trying to impart a little bit of knowledge to his/her
oversized classroom?

Give the educators a break. They already have too much
to deal with.

Cell phones are not needed at school. A phone call to the office is just as effective and allows schools to keep what little control they have left. If you can give me some examples of when a cell phone would truly work better than the administration office phone, then perhaps I would change my mind, but I really can't think of any reasonable times this would be true.

Yes, but electricity can enhance education and make for a more comfortable learning environment. Other than being a nuisance in the middle of a class, what purpose does a cell phone serve that could not be addressed by the school? School phones are available for calling for rides and for parents to phone their children on. I have never heard of a parent being refused to speak to their child, and have seen many cases where a student was paged out of class because of an emergency that was phoned to the office.

It is utterly ridiculous to think that just because something is available it is appropriate for the class room. Video games and MP3 playes are available, that doesn't mean they should be brought into the classroom and used by students as they see fit!

Because even if it does vibrate during class, you couldn't answer it without disrupting the class? So unless you just like something vibrating in your pocket, what's the point of having it at all?

No, cell phones do not need to be allowed in schools. If there is a school shooting or an item left at home, as GoAmerica posited in the opening post, a student or teacher may use the administration phones in the office. Phones are not so rare in educational buildings that students must have immediate access to cell phones while attending a place of learning.

I don't have a problem with kids having cell phones in school, as long as they are turned off during class. If kids want to waste their time chatting on the phone between classes or at lunch, I'd say that is there choice.

If I were teaching, I would state that policy to my kids, and confiscate any phone that rings during class, and tell the kid they can come pick it up at the end of the school day.

Remember what happened when Spiccoli wanted some pizza on "our time?" Exactly.

I do think that students should be able to have cell phones in school. As a student at Andrew High School I am able to bring my cell phone in to school. The only restriction is that we are not allowed to have the cell phone on. I belive that we should have cell phones in school in case of a tragedy that might occur. The reason for that is because all of our parents care deeply about us and want to know what we are doing and how we are doing. If there were a tragedy like a tornado or something more harsh like a school shooting we could het a hol of them to let them know that we are ok. Or they could get a hold of us to see if we are ok. Thats why I think that we should have cell phones in school. Thats just my opinion.

I'm personally amazed how many people are so adamantly against cell phones at school. I guess the American people are more controlling and less libertarian than I thought.



Why do the supporters of freedom have to give examples? Shouldn't the people who want to make the new rule have to give the examples? I've been in class, cell phones have gone off (sometimes the student, sometimes the teahcer) and no one really cares. It wastes little to no time. The only result is that you think the person who disrupted the class is an idiot.

In closing, it's no big deal and we don't need more stupid rules.

Neither teachers nor students should have cell phones at school. There is no practical reason for them, that is my reason. As I said before, simply because something exists does not mean it is appropriate to have at school. Handheld TVs could update you on an upcoming tornado in the area and a gun could be used to defend yourself in case of a school shooting, but that doesn't mean they should be allowed in the classroom, does it? I use these two examples because they have both been brough up in this post.

Kids should be allowed to have cell phones in schools, but they shouldn't be using them in the middle of class or anything. Once, because of an emergency, we had to evacuate my school and we were bussed to another school. Kids were crowded in the bathrooms, calling their parents on cell phones (which they really weren't supposed to have), to tell their parents what was going on, letting them know they were safe, etc. If all six hundred of us would have had to wait in line to use an office phone or pay phone to get in touch with our parents, it would have taken forever. So while kids don't actually need cell phones, they definately make life easier and more convenient.

I bring my phone to school sometimes, and I keep it off during class, and I find myself responcible about it. During the past month our school has had 5 bomb threats, and during the evacuations of the building, I found it to be very helpful if my friends or I needed to call our parents. I think kids should be alowed to have them if they're not out of control with them.

I think phones in grade and high school are absurd. Leave the phone in the car and use it at lunch if absolutely necessary. Cell phones weren't invented when I went to school and somehow, someway, I survived.

A more pointless statement is hard to come by. What exactly does it prove, other than that you didn't have a cel phone and survived? Before computers people survived. Before the Industrial Revolution people survived. In fact, cavemen only had primitive stone tools and weapons and they survived as well. By your logic we should go back to living in caves and calling each other "Clunk."

This is one of the reasons why our education system is in such "great" condition , because instead of looking at something and thinking "should it be banned?" people look at something and think "should it be allowed?". Banning something is considered the default choice. It's less about education than subordination.

Cel phones should be allowed. Disrupting class should NOT be allowed. Simple as that. I would be very upset if my child or myself in the past, were not allowed to have a cel phone just because somebody else survived without one, or doesn't see the point of it.

Last year I had my cel confiscated by my teacher and locked up in the vault for 5 school days. Who had called me? My mom. I wasn't altogether too happy about that. The repeated arguement by those against cels in school on this forum is that students have no "need" to have a cel in school when the office phone will do. For me, who belongs to many sports teams, organizations, committees, whatever, leaving all these things to another time simply won't do. Anyways, the reason I responded to this thread is for asking this question (and I hope its not off-topic): How is a person on the street demanding your possessions any different from a teacher that insists on you handing over your cel? How is it that they have the right to do this?

LOL. There is nothing to "prove" with regard to opinions on whether cell phones have a place or not in school. Your presumptions about my logic speak volumes though. I'll amplify my opinion so you can understand what I meant since obviously you do not. I don't think cell phones in use at school are constructive. I also don't think they contribute to an environment for learning. Since it's likely most children aren't running businesses or working for companies where they need to be in contact with clients or their employers, it's logical to assume the phone's primary use is often social. I say you can socialize after school or at lunch time on the phone and having phones ringing in the halls between classes or before class or after just provide another distraction or issue teachers need to deal with.



I have no idea how you justify making this correlation but I will say it's one of the more creative and imaginative explanations for the decline in our educational system I've ever heard or read about. It may be even more of a stretch as your analysis of my logic that you came up with.




I agree disrupting class should not be allowed. Perhaps the difference is you are willing to through the responsibility on the teachers and adminstrators to take on managing yet another distraction (like we need any more)? I'm simply saying let's not put another distraction into the mix. Kid's could be bringing radios and headphones, portable video games, and all other sorts of distractions into class too but somewhere you have to draw the line and have some ground rules about when the appropriate time for their usage is. I say in school it's not the appropriate time. Just because a technology exists, doesn't mean anything goes anytime, anywhere.

chinese junior and senior highschool students are allowed to take along their cellphone to class. the curb is that they should not let their phones bother anyone else. they should not ring or vibrate with noise (like when put on the desk directly). they r not allowed to use their phone in class unless it's really emergent.

Cell phones have nothing to do with the education process. The case can certainly be made for laptops being beneficial under the right circumstances, but that same piece of technology would be disruptive if the students were playing Quake in the classroom or something.

The cell phone can offer *NO* educational benefit whatsoever. A student loses nothing by not having the phone and any benefits gained are non-educational. Students are on campus to learn. Anything that is not beneficial to that education should not be allowed.

I think of it another way: anything that isn't harmful or disruptive to their education SHOULD be allowed. Our education system will not improve by making the rules more rigid and senseless. How about we ban watches and clocks in the classroom?They don't contribute to the education process. They can definately be a distraction (bored students staring at the clock and spacing out, instead of paying attention). Come on. "They don't need it" is not a reason to ban something. A reasonable person will never be convinced that a phone in their pocket, with the volume off, is disruptive. Essentially, you're saying "You don't need it because I said you don't." And that's just the thing, some people feel that "Because I said so" is a valid reason, that it teaches obedience and discipline. I don't think so. I guess my upbringing has a lot to do with that, my parents refused to use that type of reasoning. But I definately do not think that school should be the place where you learn subordination. I wouldn't want that for my kids. I think the job of the school has ONLY two components: teach the students certain facts (2+2=4; formula for water is H2O, etc.) and teach them how to think (not what to think). I don't want the school to teach my child "respect for authority", that's my job. The parent should decide how much respect and for what authority. If a parent feels the child should have a phone on them, it's not the school's business UNTIL the child disrupts class. Will some people use the phones to disrupt class? I'm sure somebody will. But punishing everyone for something someone does (or in this case might do) is wrong.

I tend to disagree with you on some of your points.

You made a good point in saying that parents "should teach respect for authority". But in our society how many parents do the responsible thing and teach their children respect and manners. In my experience with school children there is such a lack of respect for authority.

I am not sure when the schools lost their authority to enforce guidelines essential for the learning process. If youngsters don't have guidelines to go by,they will make their own rules,which usually aren't conductive to a learning environment. A youngster will naturally push you as far as he/she determines that he/she can.


In my opinion the best environment for learning in the schools is good guidelines to go by that have been proven. I see nothing wrong with the older style in the pre 1970s. I haven't researched it(but I can),but I believe our school children were ranked higher against the rest of the world, than they are now.

I don't believe we have the need for cellphones in schools and it definitely is not essential for the learning process.

first we have to look at this in the students perspective, when a student has a cell phone they might think, "hey now i can call my friends, family and girl/boy friend, without having to use the school phone or pay phone!" or they just like the ring tones games and pretty colors! but teens realize that school is for learning and cell phones should be turned off during class.

i mean come on! if i had a my cell phone on during class i would never call my buddy and talk about whether or not to take our girlfriends out to movies. i would get my self and my friend in trouble.

also, the teachers in my school take cell phones that are on during class. for example, just the other day in APGI a cell phone went off, what happened? the student tryed to turn it off before the teacher came but, my teacher walks fast. next thing you know he is talking on the cell to the person who called and told them to never disrupt his class again! now she has a detention and wont get her cell back for two more days.

sure is students are irresponsible they wont turn their cell off. but a lot of schools already have strict cell phone rules.

oh yeah and teachers do have the right to take away cell phones and the analogy of a teacher and a mugger being the same in this situation, is just plain stupid!

The bottom line is, while cell phones may not be beneficial to a student's education, they certainly help in convience. The main reason people adamantly against students having cell phones in school use is that they aren't beneficial to education, and therefore shouldn't be allowed in school. This argument is ridiculous. Just because something isn't beneficial to education doesn't make it harmful. And if it's not harming a student's education, why ban them? Cars aren't beneficial to a student's education either, should we ban students from driving to school? Schools don't need air conditioning and heating either, but they're in schools to make the student more comfortable. Popeye, would you prefer a spartan education? No chairs or desks, we can stand. No lockers, we can carry our books. That reasoning is silly, because if one is so adamant against anything that isn't beneficial to education being in a school, why stop at cell phones? Chairs aren't needed. Lockers are for convience. As with cell phones.
Clyde writes:
You assume correctly, and incorrectly. Technically, calling my mother to tell her that I'm staying after school to finish a test is socializing. Cell phones are a matter of convience, first and foremost, for most of the students I know. Instead of paying fifty cents for every call you want to make, and it's not even guaranteed that the person you're calling is there - I first would have to try home, then my mom's cell, then my dad's cell, and then go on to the work numbers if I still can't reach anyone - it adds up.
And then there's the famous, but flimsy "distraction" excuse. I don't know... anything can be a distraction. If a student wasn't playing games on their cell phone, they may be drawing comics on paper with a pencil. Should we ban pencils and paper because they could be distracting? Good grief, like kids were never distracted and always paid attention in class until those evil cell phones were invented. The benefits of having a cell phone in school - convience, mainly, followed by not wasting money - far outweigh the "distractions", which it appears most people opposed to allowing cell phones in school seem to think that cell phones just ring left and right everywhere, and classrooms sound like wall street. The reasoning for the others is "I didn't have them, and I did just fine." Sure, you lived. But allowing them for others will make their life more convient, and it's immature to not want to allow that simply because you didn't have them and got along fine. Hell, women have been giving birth since the beginning of time, and they got along just fine. Why all the anesthesia? It's easier. I get the feeling that many of the people opposed to allowing cell phones in school just don't like children in general, so naturally would be opposed to anything that makes their lives easier.
I could be wrong...
but I don't think I am.

Wow.

I have had the opportunity to teach medical professionals. The first thing I say is "Out of respect for your fellow students, if you have a cell phone or pager, turn it off, or set it to silent mode." 9 times out of 10, these people turn them off. Why? Because they understand that they are in the role of a student, and have prepared themselves by handling anything that needed handled either before or after class. Even in the event that they are "on call" and must answer, they have the common courtesy to excuse themselves from the area before fielding the call.

Not to be disrespectful, but I seriously doubt the average high school social schedule contains anything as important as what a physician or nurse might deal with at any given time. Yet students cry foul and state that their rights are being violated. I propose that if a student's life is so hectic that they need to have constant contact with the outside world, they need time management skills, not a cell phone.

The individual student, when under the care of the school, is relieved of some freedoms in the best interest of the student body. Given that a cell phone is not only a communication device, but a status symbol (even for some adults) and a form of entertainment that can be used to disrupt the process of learning, it has no place in the possession of a student during school hours. A public school has the ability to allow a parent, guardian or student to communicate with the outside world when necessary, and within the rules and regulations set forth by the district.

It would be nice if all students would show restraint and decorum when new technologies such as cell phones, PDA's, laptops, etc ... are available to them. Unfortunately, as long as some students cannot, banning them is the only way to maintain a healthy learning environment.

Hi all. Thanks for providing such a great site. I just discovered it today.

I think cell phones should be allowed at school, but keep them in your locker (or car). If you have an issue you need your phone for, you can retrieve it from there. If you were in a Columbine kind of situation, the cellphone would not have helped anyway.

slo95GTS, no one is arguing that students should be able to have their cell phones turned on in class, but merely allowing them to have them.



Ooooh, a cell phone could be a status symbol. Let's ban it. What kind of reason is that? Let's ban any student from driving a car worth more than $10,000 as well. I've said earlier, a pencil and a piece of paper could be used as a "form of entertainment", and cell phones are not the only thing that could distract a student.
As long as some students can't use cell phones with restraint, let's ban them for everyone?! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I also believe many people are irresponsible with guns. But why punish those individuals alone, when it makes much more sense to ban guns for everyone?!
I reiterate: it is NOT a matter of status, or entertainment, or distraction - for the overwhelming majority, I'd say - it's a matter of safety, convience, and money. Jesus, when someone's cell phone goes off in class, it *** NOTICE: THIS WORD IS AGAINST THE RULES. FAILURE TO REMOVE IT WILL RESULT IN A STRIKE. *** me off, and I'd want the teacher to take it. But it makes no sense to ban them for everyone because of a few, or the possibility of horrors like being distracted or entertained.

SuzySteamboat,



I agree that has been the thrust of your position. However, there have been posters, yourself included, that have expressed that classes have been disrupted because of cells that have remained on.





It makes perfect sense. A ban on cell phones would eliminate the distraction and create a positive learning environment.



Pencils and paper can also be used to educate, as well as for entertainment. How would one say the same thing about a cell phone?



When a student fits a $10k into your classroom, and disrupts the people around them, I agree. Until then, a cell phone is a far more portable item to show off.



If by safety you mean calling 911, a traditional phone supplied by the school can handle that. There is also the fire alarm system, which can be used to safely alert the school population to an emergent situation, and alert emergency services much quicker than a student on a cell phone could relay the same information.

Convenience in making multiple calls to inform parents or guardians about changes in schedules can be handled by pre planning: If I'm going to be late dad/mom, I'll call your cell after my last class, which is at XX:XXpm.

The money spent on a pay phone can also be tendered by the use of a calling card, or calling collect.

ok now i have to get more involved.

slo you said that baning cell phones would create a positive learning environment.
i don't see how this would work, if we ban cell phones, what would keep the kids from still bringing them to class?

Also, yes paper and pens can be used to educate and yes of course cell phones have games on them, but most cells have calculators. what about the many calculators that have have games on them! wow this could be a distraction, OH MY GOD LETS BAN ALL CALCULATORS ALSO!!

second, Cell phones are not status symbols! most people don't care about cell phones and showing them off, wow that makes you look stupid "hey check out my phone it can play snake! just like the Thousands of other cell phones in the world!!"

next if you are in an emergency situation, what makes you think the students can get to a pay phone with out getting, lets say....SHOT!!! if a person is running the halls with a gun shooting every person who is in the halls, i'm not going to try to go to a pay phone OUTSIDE. i would use my cell phone and call the police. also what makes you think that a person is going to pull a fire alarm and make all the students leave the safety of their classrooms(which can be locked) and walk right into the hands of a gunner!! pluss if you pull the fire alarm sure the authorities will be called but not the right ones, the fire department will come. not the police who would be better to handel the situation.

and my last statement, if we ban cell phones students will still bring their cell phones to class. i mean come on we made Pot illegal and people still find a way to have it. students will find ways around the cell phone ban if there is ever one.

So what if I've stated that cell phones have disrupted my class? That in no way proves that it's reasonable to ban them for everyone.

"It makes perfect sense. A ban on cell phones would eliminate the distraction and create a positive learning environment."
Create a positive learning environment? Just banning cell phones would create a positive learning environment? How in the world so?! I'm not seeing the connection here at all. Please.
"Now that I don't hear a cell phone going off in class twice a month, my learning environment has become much more positive. I love going to school now, and have a 4.2 GPA just because cell phones were banned." I could maybe understand if you had said banning cell phones would help to create a more focused learning environment, but going much further and stating that it would create a positive learning environment is ludicrous. Taking all physical and sexual harrassment out of school helps to create a positive learning environment. Having in-class discussion instead of worksheets and lectures helps to create a positive learning environment. But there's no way I'd ever believe that banning cell phones would single-handedly create a positive learning environment.

"Pencils and paper can also be used to educate, as well as for entertainment. How would one say the same thing about a cell phone?"
Many cell phones have calculators on them. Calculators are pretty helpful in math

"When a student fits a $10k into your classroom, and disrupts the people around them, I agree. Until then, a cell phone is a far more portable item to show off."

Slo, this is the 21st century, not the 12th. Cell phones are very common in today's society. I highly doubt students really look at a student with a cell phone and think "oh wow, I wish I had one of those. He must be rich."

"If by safety you mean calling 911, a traditional phone supplied by the school can handle that. There is also the fire alarm system, which can be used to safely alert the school population to an emergent situation, and alert emergency services much quicker than a student on a cell phone could relay the same information."

No. By safety, I meant being able to call your parents to let them know where you are. If you stay after school to finish a test, and therefore aren't at home at your regular time, there are parents out there who would become worried.

"Convenience in making multiple calls to inform parents or guardians about changes in schedules can be handled by pre planning: If I'm going to be late dad/mom, I'll call your cell after my last class, which is at XX:XXpm."
Why should a student have to do that in the first place? There's also convience in calling a friend to get a ride from school, etc.

"The money spent on a pay phone can also be tendered by the use of a calling card, or calling collect."

You've come up with all these creative solutions to each scenario that I've presented, yet you've missed the point entirely: there are alternate ways to do virtually ANYTHING. A cell phone is the EASIEST way, going back to my point that they are a matter of convience.

The absolute bottom line is that cell phones while are not manufactured to be a disturbance, they are. I remember in High School almost every body had cell phones. Lets say out of maybe 50 people who had cell phones in there possession, only one or two respected the rules and left them alone during class time.

So as you can see in my experience the other 48 students where playing with them all the time, doing text messages, using the the walkie-talkie and who knows what else. My opinion on the subject is that they (they meaning the school administrators) should ban cell phones. I mean look at the real point, with all this text massaging it wouldn't be hard at all for a student to send the answers to work on the cell phone. This is most likely already happening. When the teachers find out, thats it for cell phones, say good bye.

I am fully aware that they CAN be used for good purpose, I.E. calling parents to keep them informed. That is just a smoke screen. The real problem is soon going to be that they can be used to cheat, send or talk unallowed messages. There are just to many things a kid can do with cell phones these days.

My theory is simple. It is that they (they meaning the phone makers) should make a school safe phone. Meaning that the phone would have very limited capabilities, no text messages, games, walkie-talkies, nothing. Just a plain old phone, like a land line. This is not a fool proof plan, but it would definitely help cutting out most of the nonsense with cell phones. And if the means of buying a separate cell phone, then there should be a parental lock feature, cutting out the nonsense during a typical 6 hour school (may vary).

I am also fully aware that the school can not totally lock down if a student has a cell phone or not, so I think the parental lock feature would be a better idea, maybe like a V-Chip phone.

Kp... so you honestly believe that the main, only the vast majority of students bring cell phones to school is so they can cheat? All my talk about using it to contact parents is just a lie, what I really want to do is to be able to get answers for tests?