California considers limits/ban on cell phones in schools

[jaybirdsmommy]

Well, there is the school office you can call

I'm not talking personal emergency, I'm talking tornado, shooting (after the fact, NOT during lockdown), school bus crash, etc. Calling the school office won't do much good in those situations.

Edited to add: last time I had to pick him up during the school day, the principal was manning the checkout desk and told me it would be easier for me to text DS than for him to call around and figure out where he was (10th grader).

 

[tvguy]

I'm not talking personal emergency, I'm talking tornado, shooting (after the fact, NOT during lockdown), school bus crash, etc. Calling the school office won't do much good in those situations.

Cell phones may be totally worthless after a tornado with the cell towers wiped out. As we learned with the Santa Rosa and other wildfires, cell phones were paperweights. And in Santa Rosa, the landlines, with their buried cables, continued working.
The California Office of Emergency Services is re-thinking alert systems after those fires. Turns out old technology like landlines and the AM radios that every car has, worked pretty well.

 

[wenrob]

During Columbine, there were so many people on their cell phones it jammed the system. We had a medical emergency at our school, near Columbine, and our landline phones were out. We couldn't get through on cell phones because they were jammed.



Lock down for everything or lock out? There is a big difference.

As a teacher, I'm really tired of parents calling or texting their child during the school day when the child is in class. If it's that important for you to talk to your child, call the main office and they will call your child down.

As a PP said cell service has grown leaps and bounds since Columbine. That said, I’m well aware that it’s best and safest to keep lines open which is why I resisted the almost overwhelming urge to text her brother. I waited for him to text me. Still, if something is going down I want them to be able to dial 911 and as soon as it’s safe let me know they’re okay.

FTR I only text my kids during lunch. Nine times out of ten anything I need to tell them can wait so it’s rare that I do.

 

[wenrob]

I'm not talking personal emergency, I'm talking tornado, shooting (after the fact, NOT during lockdown), school bus crash, etc. Calling the school office won't do much good in those situations.

Edited to add: last time I had to pick him up during the school day, the principal was manning the checkout desk and told me it would be easier for me to text DS than for him to call around and figure out where he was (10th grader).

I have had this happen too. They look at me like I have two heads and ask me if I texted them.

 

[leebee]

OH my goodness, how did any of us ever survive being in school without a cell phone? I taught school for 10 years (elementary/middle) and now I teach at the college level. If you think your kid has his phone out for lesson-related activity, think again. Most teachers know it's futile to even ask the kids to put their phones away and pay attention, much less make it a rule. The majority of kids are going to do what they want with their phones; I've seen kids look directly at a teacher and say, "You can't make me; I own this phone and you can't tell me what to do with it." We've become technology-addicted, are accustomed to instant gratification, and parents have become terrified if they can't be in 24 hour contact with their kids, "just in case." If California puts through this legislation (which I agree with but think it should be a district-based decision and not state law), it's going to be futile; parents will become outraged and it'll cause much more ruckus than it's worth. Face it; kids are going to be on their phones almost all the time, if they want to, regardless of the rules, and parents will back them up. It's how it goes these days.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

OH my goodness, how did any of us ever survive being in school without a cell phone? I taught school for 10 years (elementary/middle) and now I teach at the college level. If you think your kid has his phone out for lesson-related activity, think again. Most teachers know it's futile to even ask the kids to put their phones away and pay attention, much less make it a rule. The majority of kids are going to do what they want with their phones; I've seen kids look directly at a teacher and say, "You can't make me; I own this phone and you can't tell me what to do with it." We've become technology-addicted, are accustomed to instant gratification, and parents have become terrified if they can't be in 24 hour contact with their kids, "just in case." If California puts through this legislation (which I agree with but think it should be a district-based decision and not state law), it's going to be futile; parents will become outraged and it'll cause much more ruckus than it's worth. Face it; kids are going to be on their phones almost all the time, if they want to, regardless of the rules, and parents will back them up. It's how it goes these days.

Yikes, I wish I didn't believe you but unfortunately I do. For the record, if I ever heard of my kid saying something like that to a teacher he'd be busted back to a flip phone so fast his head would spin. Too many people think the rules don't apply to them.

 

[JaxDad]

They can just obtain doctors' notes for nomophobia and get medical exemptions...

 

[SensesFailed]

This should be up to the school. Not legislated.

Good thing that the Assemblyman stated in the article that the intent is for the schools to come up with policies that fit their school

 

[wenrob]

OH my goodness, how did any of us ever survive being in school without a cell phone? I taught school for 10 years (elementary/middle) and now I teach at the college level. If you think your kid has his phone out for lesson-related activity, think again. Most teachers know it's futile to even ask the kids to put their phones away and pay attention, much less make it a rule. The majority of kids are going to do what they want with their phones; I've seen kids look directly at a teacher and say, "You can't make me; I own this phone and you can't tell me what to do with it." We've become technology-addicted, are accustomed to instant gratification, and parents have become terrified if they can't be in 24 hour contact with their kids, "just in case." If California puts through this legislation (which I agree with but think it should be a district-based decision and not state law), it's going to be futile; parents will become outraged and it'll cause much more ruckus than it's worth. Face it; kids are going to be on their phones almost all the time, if they want to, regardless of the rules, and parents will back them up. It's how it goes these days.

We had pay phones. When is the last time you saw one? I took a photo of one a couple years ago and the next time I was in that area it was gone. My kids do carry phones for my convenience and peace of mind. My dad said several times we would have had them as kids if they were available. Just because our parents didn’t know where we were at all times doesn’t mean they liked it. Each parent is going to do what they feel is best, judging them for it really doesn’t accomplish anything. The schools here reserve the right to confiscate a phone and require the parent to come pick it up. That’s happened exactly one time, said child complied and I backed the school up. Then I grounded her little butt.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Now that phones have become a necessary evil in our society maybe we should start cracking down more on teaching people (was going to say "our kids", but it's not just kids anymore) when it's appropriate to use them, and when it's not. Not in the classroom, not while driving, not at work (unless appropriate), not at the dinner table, not while walking, etc.

My kids are just out of HS a few years ago. They could keep them on their person but were not allowed to use them during class, with rare exception if a teacher allowed use as part of a lesson. If they were using them inappropriately during class, they were taken away and given to the principal, where the student had to go get it at the end of the school day. Mine were ok with that stipulation and never had a problem.

I wouldn't favor taking phones away completely, as I think the reality of an incident at school has become relatively higher now, not to mention an illness or other emergency, and I think there would be unnecessary anxiety in those situations not being able to communicate with family and friends in the way that's become the standard today. I know how I feel if I forget my phone! Kids aren't really an exception anymore, and as others have said, public phones just aren't as available as they used to be. In a true emergency it could even be the difference between life and death.

So I vote for keeping phones but perhaps a national education campaign to reign in use to times and places that are appropriate.

 

[monsterkitty]

I’m guessing cell service has improved since Columbine.

All my kids are long ago out of high school. I never texted them during school hours. And if I had to, I would expect them not to see it until lunch. I would absolutely fight a policy not allowing phones in classrooms. During an emergency, that may be the only way to contact authorities, and let people know their locations. Apply appropriate rules, and consequences for not following them.

Yep, cell towers have greatly improved since then, thank goodness. Wanna know what is really scary, though? My school seems to be in a black hole area. If our SRO needs backup she can't use her radio because it doesn't work here and she has to use her cell. My school is on a very busy street and no one follows the school zone speed limits. The county could make a lot of money writing tickets in this stretch but they don't even try anymore because of the black hole.

I allow cell phones in my room. I have students use tuning apps at the beginning of class and we also use them for other educational activities. If a parent or someone texts or calls, my rule is ask me first before answering. I almost always say yes because if I don't they will just whine or be preoccupied with, "but I need to see who called." However, if i catch you with the phone out and you didn't ask, it's mine until I give it back. If I've had to take it more than once then it goes to the office and your parent has to come and get it.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

Meh

I remember when my oldest was in 6th grade and I was waiting around to pick him up for an evening dance at the Middle School, a kid whipped out his cell phone in front of the principal. The principal said "Can you at least PRETEND to follow the rules until you are off school grounds?" (he was being funny...it was 9:30pm and he was as tired as everyone else and didn't really care too much lol) At the time, phones were not allowed at school at all, or at least not visibly.

Now, 7 years later, the school handbook states that parents should text kids individually if they need to get them a note about changing pickup or other "urgent" matters before the end of the day, and it also asks to use discretion on those urgent matters and not bother your kids all day.

Times change....even in CA where it seems to be going backward....

As for me personally, my kids are pretty safe at school for the most part, so I don't care if they have cell phones for unlikely emergencies, nor do I care if individual teachers ban them or allow them. What I DO care about, is that my kids are following the rules of each class and using/not using their phones appropriately and being respectful to the teacher about it.

 

[tvguy]

I’m guessing cell service has improved since Columbine.

All my kids are long ago out of high school. I never texted them during school hours. And if I had to, I would expect them not to see it until lunch. I would absolutely fight a policy not allowing phones in classrooms. During an emergency, that may be the only way to contact authorities, and let people know their locations. Apply appropriate rules, and consequences for not following them.

Most of the schools do have landlines in every class room now

 

[aprilchem]

I'm fine with them putting restrictions on their use on school grounds - in backpack, ringer off, not out in the classroom, etc.

I'm not ok with them outright banning them. Should there be an emergency, I want to be able to reach my kids.

Cell phones may be totally worthless after a tornado with the cell towers wiped out. As we learned with the Santa Rosa and other wildfires, cell phones were paperweights. And in Santa Rosa, the landlines, with their buried cables, continued working.
The California Office of Emergency Services is re-thinking alert systems after those fires. Turns out old technology like landlines and the AM radios that every car has, worked pretty well.

I have strong opinions about this. Earlier this year we had a tornado warning in my area that lasted for quite some time. We had several tornadoes touch down and one person was killed by flying debris.

I have two kids in middle school, both who carry cell phones. Our school's policy is no cell phone use during the school day unless it's academic-related (there are not enough computers for every child to use one), no texting or talking during the day. They have told us time and time again, "your child doesn't need a cell phone. If there's an emergency, we will let you know what's going on. You can call the office to reach your child in an emergency."

Well, when the emergency happened all of that went out the window. The tornado warnings started right as they released the buses. They e-mailed all parents and said they were taking the kids back to the school to shelter in place. About 15 minutes later, I get a text from my son saying, "I don't know where we're going - we just passed the school". I call the main office, no answer. 20 minutes later, my son texts me and says that they took him and his brother to a completely different school a few miles away, and that he's in a gym with 1000 other people. I know that school - the gym is in the middle of an open field and is not a storm shelter. But it appears not all of his friends are there - he says some kids were taken to a different school but he doesn't know where. Still no word from the school - I'm getting texts from my friends (whose kids don't have cell phones) seeing if my boys can try to find out if other kids are there. Nobody knows what's happening.

Ultimately, I ended up driving to the school and removing my boys from that situation, and taking us home to our (much, much safer) basement. They ended up keeping the majority of the kids for four hours (until 7 pm) with no notification to parents. Other moms that I knew were frantic, and it was rational because they literally had no idea where their kids were. The only reason I did was that my boys had cell phones and let me know. I'm grateful, because had a tornado hit that building there would have been a lot of kids who had died.

So my answer is yes - I want my kids to have cell phones, because I don't trust the school to keep its promise in making it not necessary for them to have one.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I’m guessing cell service has improved since Columbine.

All my kids are long ago out of high school. I never texted them during school hours. And if I had to, I would expect them not to see it until lunch. I would absolutely fight a policy not allowing phones in classrooms. During an emergency, that may be the only way to contact authorities, and let people know their locations. Apply appropriate rules, and consequences for not following them.

\

Schools have lots of phones. They don't need a redundancy of 1500 extra phones to make a phone call.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

I have strong opinions about this. Earlier this year we had a tornado warning in my area that lasted for quite some time. We had several tornadoes touch down and one person was killed by flying debris.

I have two kids in middle school, both who carry cell phones. Our school's policy is no cell phone use during the school day unless it's academic-related (there are not enough computers for every child to use one), no texting or talking during the day. They have told us time and time again, "your child doesn't need a cell phone. If there's an emergency, we will let you know what's going on. You can call the office to reach your child in an emergency."

Well, when the emergency happened all of that went out the window. The tornado warnings started right as they released the buses. They e-mailed all parents and said they were taking the kids back to the school to shelter in place. About 15 minutes later, I get a text from my son saying, "I don't know where we're going - we just passed the school". I call the main office, no answer. 20 minutes later, my son texts me and says that they took him and his brother to a completely different school a few miles away, and that he's in a gym with 1000 other people. I know that school - the gym is in the middle of an open field and is not a storm shelter. But it appears not all of his friends are there - he says some kids were taken to a different school but he doesn't know where. Still no word from the school - I'm getting texts from my friends (whose kids don't have cell phones) seeing if my boys can try to find out if other kids are there. Nobody knows what's happening.

Ultimately, I ended up driving to the school and removing my boys from that situation, and taking us home to our (much, much safer) basement. They ended up keeping the majority of the kids for four hours (until 7 pm) with no notification to parents. Other moms that I knew were frantic, and it was rational because they literally had no idea where their kids were. The only reason I did was that my boys had cell phones and let me know. I'm grateful, because had a tornado hit that building there would have been a lot of kids who had died.

So my answer is yes - I want my kids to have cell phones, because I don't trust the school to keep its promise in making it not necessary for them to have one.

That is horrifying, what on earth where they thinking?

We had a tornado during the school day a few years ago, it actually touched down within a mile of the elementary school where DS attended and knocked out power to the entire neighborhood. His teacher used her CELL PHONE to call the parents to let them know we needed to pick up our kids once the all clear was sounded because school was cancelled for the rest of the day. The school phone system went with the power lines.

 

[pweyl36]

My son (freshman in HS) told me they're starting after spring break that cell phones can't even be in backpacks. I disagree with that policy. They should be allowed to have the cell phones on them. If the cell phones are disrupting class, then punish those disrupting the class. Why you have to make a blanket policy, I don't understand. And phones can be used for more than texting with friends and playing games.

How did you ever get through school with out your phone?

 

[tvguy]

I have strong opinions about this. Earlier this year we had a tornado warning in my area that lasted for quite some time. We had several tornadoes touch down and one person was killed by flying debris.

I have two kids in middle school, both who carry cell phones. Our school's policy is no cell phone use during the school day unless it's academic-related (there are not enough computers for every child to use one), no texting or talking during the day. They have told us time and time again, "your child doesn't need a cell phone. If there's an emergency, we will let you know what's going on. You can call the office to reach your child in an emergency."

Well, when the emergency happened all of that went out the window. The tornado warnings started right as they released the buses. They e-mailed all parents and said they were taking the kids back to the school to shelter in place. About 15 minutes later, I get a text from my son saying, "I don't know where we're going - we just passed the school". I call the main office, no answer. 20 minutes later, my son texts me and says that they took him and his brother to a completely different school a few miles away, and that he's in a gym with 1000 other people. I know that school - the gym is in the middle of an open field and is not a storm shelter. But it appears not all of his friends are there - he says some kids were taken to a different school but he doesn't know where. Still no word from the school - I'm getting texts from my friends (whose kids don't have cell phones) seeing if my boys can try to find out if other kids are there. Nobody knows what's happening.

Ultimately, I ended up driving to the school and removing my boys from that situation, and taking us home to our (much, much safer) basement. They ended up keeping the majority of the kids for four hours (until 7 pm) with no notification to parents. Other moms that I knew were frantic, and it was rational because they literally had no idea where their kids were. The only reason I did was that my boys had cell phones and let me know. I'm grateful, because had a tornado hit that building there would have been a lot of kids who had died.

So my answer is yes - I want my kids to have cell phones, because I don't trust the school to keep its promise in making it not necessary for them to have one.

A lot of people died in the Santa Rosa fire, and so far it appears some of those deaths may have been linked to cell phone dependence. Not an opinion, but a factual situation that the California Office of Emergency Service is trying to devise a solution too. But to be honest, no communication system is perfect in an emergency.

 

[DopeyDame]

Just to be clear, the california bill DOES NOT ban cell phone use. It just says schools need to have a policy. Which seems like a sort of odd thing for a legislature to need to legislate, but also reasonable.

As for safety/emergencies, there are some situations when having a cell phone will be beneficial, others where it will be useless, and others (like when a cell phone goes off during a lock down situation) when having it will be actively harmful.

 

[wenrob]

I have strong opinions about this. Earlier this year we had a tornado warning in my area that lasted for quite some time. We had several tornadoes touch down and one person was killed by flying debris.

I have two kids in middle school, both who carry cell phones. Our school's policy is no cell phone use during the school day unless it's academic-related (there are not enough computers for every child to use one), no texting or talking during the day. They have told us time and time again, "your child doesn't need a cell phone. If there's an emergency, we will let you know what's going on. You can call the office to reach your child in an emergency."

Well, when the emergency happened all of that went out the window. The tornado warnings started right as they released the buses. They e-mailed all parents and said they were taking the kids back to the school to shelter in place. About 15 minutes later, I get a text from my son saying, "I don't know where we're going - we just passed the school". I call the main office, no answer. 20 minutes later, my son texts me and says that they took him and his brother to a completely different school a few miles away, and that he's in a gym with 1000 other people. I know that school - the gym is in the middle of an open field and is not a storm shelter. But it appears not all of his friends are there - he says some kids were taken to a different school but he doesn't know where. Still no word from the school - I'm getting texts from my friends (whose kids don't have cell phones) seeing if my boys can try to find out if other kids are there. Nobody knows what's happening.

Ultimately, I ended up driving to the school and removing my boys from that situation, and taking us home to our (much, much safer) basement. They ended up keeping the majority of the kids for four hours (until 7 pm) with no notification to parents. Other moms that I knew were frantic, and it was rational because they literally had no idea where their kids were. The only reason I did was that my boys had cell phones and let me know. I'm grateful, because had a tornado hit that building there would have been a lot of kids who had died.

So my answer is yes - I want my kids to have cell phones, because I don't trust the school to keep its promise in making it not necessary for them to have one.

I liked this not because of what happened but because it’s a good example.

Several years ago my nieces bus didn’t show up after school. No communication from the school or transportation service. Phone calls to both went unanswered. My SIL and by default the rest of us were frantic. The bus didn’t show for 2 hours. My nieces got phones that weekend.