NEW YORK - A ban on cell phones in the nation's largest school system was upheld Tuesday by a state appeals court.
The Department of Education passed rules in September 2005 barring students from having their phones in public schools.
School officials, as well as Mayor Michael Bloomberg, have called the phones a distraction and say they could be used for nefarious purposes, including cheating.
Parents insist they need to stay in touch with their children in case of emergencies like Sept. 11. They call the ban irrational and unsafe and say it intrudes on their right to determine what is best for their children.
City lawyers argued that education officials had the right to make policy decisions _ "the kind government officials make all the time" _ about devices students may have at school.
The state Supreme Court's Appellate Division agreed. It said that nothing about the ban interferes with any of the rights claimed by the parents, nor does it prevent students and their parents from communicating before and after school...
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Appeals court upholds NYC school cell phone ban
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After graduating from high school, I now see the logic behind banning students from having their cell phones in school. Cell phones have become so popular within the last five years and people, especially teenagers, have a hard time staying off of them. It is almost as if it is an addiction that teens need to check their phones every five minutes. Like the article says, cell phones are indeed a distraction. Not only are they a distraction for the student learning the material the teacher is teaching, but it is a distraction for the teacher as well. Every time a cell phone goes off, the teacher has to stop her lesson, and stray off topic. Too often, in my own high school, I have seen students using their cell phones to cheat on a test or send one of their friends the answers. Being a future teacher, I would not want cell phones to be used in my classroom specifically for this reason. As far as parents arguing that their children need to be able to get in touch with them in case of an emergency, there are other ways to contact one's child through the school. Parents have the opportunity to call the school's office and have a message delivered to their child, and students are always able to use any school phone to call their parent. In the instance of an emergency occurring such as September 11, the school would be able to give the students the option of using their phones to call their parents in a special circumstance. I do not believe that banning cell phones from school is taking away any rights, it is just ensuring that students receive the best education possible and that they are not tempted to cheat or distract themselves, as well others.
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