February 7, 2008
Parents, City Argue School Cell Phone Ban at Appeals Court
The fight over the right for school children to bear cell phones in schools moved to the Appellate Court, where lawyers for NYC and public school students' parents appeared before a five-judge panel. This comes after the City Council passed a bill allowing cell phones in schools, which the Mayor vetoed.
Many parents believe cell phones are critical for keeping in touch with their children, in case of an emergency or just to check in with kids who walk in dangerous areas. Yesterday, Justice David Saxe said, "I suspect that in a smaller school district, if the school superintendent tried such a ban, they’d probably fire the whole school board...[But parents] can’t easily fire the chancellor." But they probably wish they could!
Justice Luis Gonzalez wondered, "Because they are potentially disruptive, does that justify the broad policy?" But Justice Richard Andrias said, "You could spend the whole day disciplining people because the phones go off." And when one justice suggested that principals could decide on a cell phone policy for their own schools, the city argued, per the NY Times, that it would be "unfair to law-abiding students at troubled schools."
The students' parents' lawyer, Norman Siegel, told reporters that banning cell phone use would be more reasonable than banning cell phones overall, suggesting that the DOE just wants to make security guards' jobs easier. It could take months for the appeals courts to make a decision.
Cell phones have technically been off limits in schools since 1988. Last May, a Manhattan State Supreme Court judge ruled that there's "no constitutional right" to bear cell phones last May.
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I guess the parents forgot how they got through life as a kid without a cellphone. I'm sure they managed...even in an emergency.
But, Pharmer, 9/11 changed EVERYTHING.
Cell phones didn't work on 9/11, as I recall.
They shoudl allow them to have them but force the kids to keep them in their locker. That is if they still have lockers.
Cell phones didn't work on 9/11, as I recall.
I thought they only failed in that the circuits were jammed. It was a phone issue rather than a cell issue - unless your specific cell was cut off because of damage downtown.
Also worth mentioning the cell stations ran off of battery for a while during the blackout but they ultimately gave out.
& kids should have guns in school for safety sake as well, i'd take a gun over a phone for "safety" anyday...
Cell phones used by responsible students will not be a problem. It's the dudes and dudettes that abuse the situation that cause a problem. It's very simple. Turn off your phones when you enter the school and turn them on when when you leave the school. If a Columbine situation occurs in your school, turn them on. Fuck regulations!
Students do not live with a 9/11 situation day in and day out. If so, forget about the regulations also.
The reason cell phones didn't work downtown on 9/11 is hmmm?, the tower was knocked down, along with a lot of feeder lines, in case you didn't notice. It wasn't just a shoot'em up situation that you find more and more in the life of being a student.
I cannot believe we are still arguing over this.
Here's the answer: We just got our daughter a cell phone for Christmas. She takes it to school. She turns it off. If she forgets and someone calls her, her teacher takes it away. If the teacher takes it away, we asked her to return it to us, not her. (Teacher was happy to cooperate.) And I guarantee you that will be the last time she sees the cell phone for some time.
There are times when they'll need the phone, and yes I do feel better knowing she has it on her. Having said that, it's a privledge, it's not a right, and there's NO reason to take a phone call during school hours unless (as Snoopy alluded to) there's an emeregency, at which time the rules change.
What bothers me is why the DOE has to get involved in a situation that is best solved in the trenches, if only given a chance. Now the lawyers are involved and I guarantee no matter how it turns out it'll be more f***ed up at the end than it ever was in the beginning.
True Tim. Give the teachers power to confiscate the phones if they ring in class and make the parents to come pick them up. Escalate the punishment for repeated offenses. Problem solved. I have worked in schools as both a teacher and administrator since 1993 and thats always been how it was handled and it was and has never been a problem. The world is different now and kids really do need phones before and after school in certain areas of the city if for nothing else to call 911. I didn't have a cell phone as a kid and I am in my 40's now and made it, but there were times when one surely would have been nice. We didn't have computers back then either. Times have changed since we were kids. I say give the authority back to local control and you wont have problems.
Cell phones don't have to ring to be disruptive, kids hide them in their lap as the text message their friends. In the school where I work, a fight broke out outside the school. A friend of one of the participants was texted while in class, she (and the rest of the class) ran outside to help their friend. In the old days, how did we know important stuff like this?
Cell phones don't have to ring to be disruptive, kids hide them in their lap as the text message their friends. In the school where I work, a fight broke out outside the school. A friend of one of the participants was texted while in class, she (and the rest of the class) ran outside to help their friend. In the old days, how did we know important stuff like this?
Fact: Cellphones can have ring tones only kids can hear. Unless some student tells the teacher, he/she won't hear it.
Fact: Cellphones can have ring tones only kids can hear. Unless some student tells the teacher, he/she won't hear it.
Umm... you mean like dogs and high whistles?
I'd like to see the proof of this (you know, just to stay an informed parent).
@Tim N.:Insanely enough their is some truth to that. A security company in the UK developed a tone that basically people under 16 or so can hear. The idea was to blast it through the parking lots of Tesco's and whatnots, and places teens hung out to get them to move along. I've heard that teens have adapted these tones for use as cell phone rings, but that might just be wishful thinking.
Tim N.:
It's called the mosquito cellphone ringtone. It's not likely anyone over 30 years old could hear it.