Cell Phones and the Classroom
Schools and Parents Should Adopt Clear Policies to Benefit All
Cell phones began to become commonplace at the end of the 1990’s. They became smaller and digital and cheaper to use. The “calling plan” became popular, then prepaid minutes were ideal for people with bad credit or children whose chatter needed to be restricted. Text messaging turned out to be as popular as e-mail and was a way for kids to communicate without anyone listening in. However, the cell phones started to be omnipresent in many students’ hands, and caused a disruption in the classroom. It was easy for schools to ban use and possession of cell phones. There was no justification for students to have them. Then, September 11, 2001, the American view of safety changed. It seemed that the rules had to shift. Parents who previously cooperated with the school now defied the cellular ban—their kids were going to be able to contact them if another act of terrorism occurred. School officials were against the wall on this issue—if cell phones were banned, and an emergency situation arose, who might be liable? The ban was relaxed. Cell phones were not exactly encouraged, but administration turned a blind eye to the possession of them.
This is where the controversy lies—should cell phones be banned completely or should students be allowed to use them? Where do educators draw the line? Here are some of the issues that cell phone use by students has raised:
· Does the school have the right to take cell phones from students?
· When is cell phone use by students appropriate?
· Do cell phones encourage drug dealing and gang-related activity?
· How much of class time needs to be wasted when a student’s cell phone is stolen?
· Should students be able to call their parents during class and have them listen in on the teacher’s reprimands to the class?
· Should camera phones be allowed?
· Should students be required to leave phones at home during state-mandated testing (makes cheating easier)?
· Have there really been emergencies in which a student’s cell phone has been the savior?
There is no doubt that the cell phone is a wonderful convenience, but it has become a disruption to the educational environment. Parents and educators must work together to establish policies that are fair to all concerned, that address the issues that cell phone use have brought to the classroom.
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