Should Students Be Allowed To Bring Cell Phones To School?

It's the main form of communication for almost any teen.

A cell phone has the ability to field calls, send texts, take photos and surf the Internet.

All things youngsters like to do.

Not surprisingly, school districts need to have specific policies to deal with this phenomenon.

At Stanley Middle School in Lafayette, for example, the parent/student handbook states that cell phones and other electronic devices must be turned off and may not be displayed on campus during school hours.

Students who violate these rules can have their phone confiscated and face after-school detention.

In the Moraga school district, students can bring phones on campus, but they must be turned off and kept in backpacks or lockers.

Superintendent Bruce Burns said some of the problems caused by cell phones are calls or texts during instruction time, students taking pictures and posting them on social media sites and students losing phones.

Burns said one of the advantages is students are able to contact parents before or after school. He added some teachers are experimenting with using the devices during lessons to look up information or connect to blogs.

What do you think? Should phones be allowed at schools and what restrictions should be placed on them? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

There is an ongoing debate nationwide over whether students should have phones on campus and be able to use them.

National School Safety And Security Services, a private company that specializes in school safety has a column with the pros and cons on its website.

They note there is a safety factor in having a cell phone when emergencies occur. Students are able to quickly get in touch with parents and other people.

They also acknowledge there is a learning component that comes with cell phones and other electronic devices. They can be useful in classroom teaching situations.

However, the company says the phones can cause disruptions in class when they ring. Students also get distracted when they are sending or receiving text messages.

The company adds phones have been used to take photos of exams and other materials.

In addition, in emergencies students using the phones en masse can overwhelm a system, preventing anyone from being able to communicate.