Should Cell Phones Be Allowed in School?
Controversy over cell phones in schools was inevitable. It was just a question of when.
School administrators are now deciding whether or not to allow students to use cells phones in school.
Cell phones provide parents a convenient way to keep in touch with their children, but cell phones also disrupt the learning environment. Some schools are learning this the hard way.
In April 2008, a student assaulted Jolita Berry, an art teacher at the Reginald F. Lewis High School in Baltimore, MD. Another student recorded the attack with a cell phone camera and posted it on MySpace.
The incident sparked debate across the nation not only about violence in schools but also about whether or not cell phones with video capabilities actually exacerbate the problem.
Social networks make it easy for people to gain notoriety with a video of a student beating up a teacher.
Other School Cell Phone Problems
- Students forgetting to turn off the ringer on their cell phone. This disrupts the class when the cell phones ring.
- Students texting each other, surfing the internet or instant messaging. This distracts students from paying attention to the teacher.
- Students using cell phones to cheat on school work.
- Students calling in bomb threats to the school to get out of class.
Benefits of Allowing Cell Phone Use in Schools
But
the benefits of allowing cell phones in school cannot be ignored. The very
things that make cell phones disruptive can also be their saving grace.
In September 2007, security guards at the Knight High School in Palmdale, California were caught on cell phone camera using excessive physical force on a teenage girl because she spilled cake on the cafeteria floor and did not clean it up to their specifications. 15 year old Pleajhai Mervin suffered a fractured wrist as a result of the incident.
Other incidents of school violence have been caught through the use of cell phones by people witnessing the incident. These videos are often used by local law enforcement to bring charges against the perpetrators when they otherwise may have gotten away with their crime.
A cell phone caught an unprovoked attack of a young woman on a school bus in Montevallo, Alabama. The video was used to bring charges against the ninth grader who started the fight.
Proponents of the idea of allowing cell phones in schools often cite safety as the number one reason why they should be allowed. With school shootings occurring more and more often, it is comforting to parents to know that their child has some way of calling for help should the unthinkable happen.
But there are other, more mundane reasons, why allowing cell phones in schools are a good idea:
- Students can text assignments to their classmates who may have missed class due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances.
- Students can use their camera to take pictures of notes on the boards if they have a hard time keeping up with note taking in the classroom.
- With advanced phones, such as Blackberries, students can keep track of their study schedules and after school activities.
- Students can take pictures of class projects to show parents when they get home.
- Cell phones can be programmed with instructions and information for specific medical conditions the student may have.
- Cell phones can help facilitate communication via text messaging with hearing impaired students.
If you are a school administrator trying to decide if allowing cell phones in your school, here are some things to keep in mind:
- You must have a policy in place that details how and when students can use them as well as the consequences for violating the policy. You must also have a system in place that enforces the rules.
- Don’t forget to secure feedback from parents about the issue. It is easier to get a child to conform to the rules of the school if you have the parent’s support.
- Talk to other administrators who have allowed or banned the use of cell phones in their schools to find out how well that is working for them.
This issue of whether or not to allow cell phones in schools will be one that administrators will debate for many years. It is a complex subject that requires a careful weighing of benefits and consequences. However, if you resolve to do what’s best for the student’s education and safety then you are sure to reach a decision everyone can live with.