Monday, November 10, 2014

That's not the school bell ringing - it's your phone

I could tell open this post by telling a story about waiting in line to use a payphone in my high school to call a friend who was supposed to pick me up after sixth period. Or I could reminisce about when pagers became very cool and lots of friends at my high school had them.

But that would make me feel old, so let's just move on.

We've talked before about the right age to give your child his/her own cell phone. I heard from lots of parents who said that in addition to personal responsibility there also had to be a need. But I wonder if any of the current school cell phone bans came into play in that decision as well. After all, why would you give your child a cell phone if they couldn't even take it to the one place where they spent the bulk of their day?

But after reading this article about Mayor de Blasio trying to lift the cell phone ban in NY schools, it makes me wonder how much longer the bans will be in place nationwide. Is there a legitimate need for parents to be able to get in touch with their children throughout the school day? And should geographic location be taken into account for children who attend schools in high-crime areas?

In short - are the bans necessary to keep kids focused on their education or does the ability to stay in touch supersede that?

What about in your family? Does your child have access to their phone during the school day? If not, would you want them to? Share with me in the comments.

1 comment:

  1. We just handed our 12 year old her first cellphone, just last night. It is not an iphone, but it is my old slip phone. It still looks cool, and it has the two main purposes only, text and call. I want my 12 year old, who is right in middle school, pre-teen, to be able to contact me at any time. The school does allow cellphones, and I am so glad. Should a school shooting happen, Lord willing it won't ever, I want her to be able to call us immediately. But aside from such extreme, just the fact that we can communicate freely is my purpose. If I am late to pick her up or if she needs to ask a question... The world has changed so much. I feel I want her to learn how to navigate through it, and cellphones are a big part of our society, these days. There is a lot that our kids need to learn as new etiquette is required where cellphones are concerned.

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