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Monday May 22, 2006
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It is pretty safe to assume that as a gadget-lovin' Gearlogger I am going to come down against Mayor Bloomberg's ridiculous ban on cell phones in New York City public schools, but as a step-father with an 11-year-old riding the city bus to school, my opposition borders on outrage. The ban itself has been around a long time (1987, I think), but it has always been enforced with an appropriate amount of laxness. Show it, you lose it. Evidently, that wasn't good enough. Now kids are being patted down for telecommunication devices. Why? According to the Gotham Gazette: Klein and Bloomberg say cell phones make it easier for kids to cheat on tests, take pictures in locker room and bathrooms, arrange drug deals or call in reinforcements for schoolyard fights. In a radio address, the mayor likened cell phones to guns and knives. Yes, and they can also be used to call worried parents and let them know that the M20 is running late because traffic is backed up at the Holland Tunnel. Unlike guns and knives, phones can be used responsibly and safely. They also have an "Off Button." Why must this be explained to a man that made his fortune in the tech sector? There are a lot of problems with New York City Schools: inadequate funding, poor security, and large class sizes to name a few. Why not fix some of those before pursuing unauthorized wireless calling. If you agree, sign this petition.
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May 23, 2006 9:08 AM
Instead of having a hide it or lose it rule I think that the school should have a policy that if they are going to have a phone then they have to have it on the desk or visably displayed at all times. This way when they enter class the teacher can make sure that all the phones are off and stay off during the class period.
May 23, 2006 9:49 AM
This is actually a great lesson for kids of all ages--the phone is there, but you don't have to use it.
May 23, 2006 2:58 PM
Very interestng to say "Unlike guns and knives, phones can be used responsibly and safely." The writer obviously does not really understand some of the most important and common uses of these tools. Suggest his outrage at cell phone bans applies similarly to banning knives and guns -- it simply depends on one's perspective.
May 23, 2006 4:30 PM
but then again, I have no children, so I have the privilege of not having someone out of my sight for at least 8 hours a day of whom I'm worried sick about every moment they're out of my sight. I'm concerned with why it's so difficult for students who need to get in touch with their parents in an emergency can't go to the office and call out. It would make sense to me that they would do so, and children were doing it long before cellphones were common in every person's hand. Also, if it's an emergency, I would hope that the teacher and school administrators would be involved, and the child would make their way to the office anyway. And for parents needing to get a hold of their kids, the inverse is true-when did it become too much trouble to call the school office and ask for your child? They'll be paged to report to the office and they'll be there as soon as they can walk there, which is much faster than giving them a cellphone they won't be able to answer in class, as opposed to an office page that can be answered in class. I suppose I don't see the failure of the way the system was working before cellphones were common. At the same time, I can also say that outright banning them and patting students down for them is totally irresponsible and a horrible prescedent for the children to come away with; that the "people in charge" can, at any whim, decide what they can and can't have, and whether it's okay to take their possessions from them. That's unacceptable. Also, I think that students who can responsible use a cell phone shouldn't be punished for the students who can't-that's ridiculous. If it goes off, you lose it. If you use it in class, you lose it. If you're using it at lunch or recess, you lose it. That's all fine. Create the perception that it's for emergencies only, and isn't a toy for your amusement during the school day. But a ban is outright silly at best and unnecessarily intrusive at worst. So yeah. I'm conflicted.
May 24, 2006 2:53 PM
News flash. Guns and knives are used responsibly millions and millions of times a day. Firearms are used by police, the military, and just us plain old citizens to protect ourselves and others. My kitchen is full of nasty knives and my safe is full of guns, none of which have caused anything more than the occassional nip of a finger while preparing dinner. Which admendment of the US Consistution provides for the right to own a cell phone?