Cell Phones Soon To Be Allowed In Schools

[6cgonzaleznunez]

www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/new-york-city-students-days-able-text-friends-school-will-end/
According to this article, New York City will soon allow cell phones in school. In my opinion, I don't think this will be that big of a change because students bring their phones to school anyways. However, coming from experience I think that this will definitely be something new in schools with metal detectors because I used to go to a school like this. Freshman year, I went to a school where every morning, we had to wait in line at the entrance to take our book bags off and walk through the detectors. This was ridiculous because I was always late to class and it was very time consuming. Whenever we went out at all, we had to get scanned again. This was not welcoming at all because I felt like a prisoner and so did my classmates. How can the teachers expect us to act like adults if they don't trust us enough to bring our phones to school? I hated it and I'm glad that I don't have to deal with that anymore since I transferred schools. Although many schools will remain unaffected by the new policy, this will be glorious to schools with metal detectors and I can relate to how they feel because I've been there before. 

[6msherena]

www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/13/nyc-school-cellphone-ban-end_n_5977412.html
www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/013-15/mayor-de-blasio-chancellor-fari-a-lift-school-cell-phone-ban

Banning the cell phone policy in NYC schools is such a great idea in my opinion. I say this because children will be able to contact parents in case of emergencies so a child’s safety will increase and will treat all students in NYC fairly. When cell phones are banned, students don’t have to worry about someone taking their phones when it’s not even being used or its just in their pockets. Also, students probably don’t have to worry to enter school with a phone in hands but is not being used. Just having cell phones banned, makes it easier for students to not worry about these things. Moreover, students can now call their parents if they aren’t feeling well or text their parents instead of getting a nurse pass to go to the nurse, and have to wait in line and then be able to explain to the nurse the situation, and then wait to speak to parents. Banning the cell phone policy makes a big difference in students lives to not have t worry about one less thing in their lives.

[3gsofia]

Adding onto what Sherena said and furthermore relating this topic to our school, I am very excited for the lift on the ban of cellphones in schools to finally occur. For two school years and a half I have been marching around the hallways with a hint of paranoia that a security guard or god forbid Jackson saw the corner of my phone hanging out of my pocket. Luckily I have been careful enough for that to have not occurred. My only concern is that now that the city allows the phones in the schools, will the principals be just as willing? I am obviously wishing for our principal to allow her students to use their phones freely but I would not be surprised if the ban were lifted yet limitations were set in place. There are still possibilities that we can be asked to not use our phones until 4:09 when the day is over and we would basically be in the same circumstance in regards to our safety.
I hope that the implementation of this cell phone ban lift by our administrative staff will happen in favor of our students, and although we can hope it is also important to think of an alternate outcome other than complete use of cellphones throughout everyday.
Ideally this decision will serve its purpose of reducing risks to the safety of NYC and make LaGuardia a less paranoid environment.

[3nkayla]

In many schools including LaGuardia, I don’t think this rule provides us with outstanding differing circumstances. Although they are now permitted in the school, we are still not allowed to use our phones during school hours and classes, so if the principal decided to take them away, I think this request would still be valid since we are not allowed to be using them. This means that now the only difference is that are allowed have to bring them to school, but most students did this before anyway, so this new rule didn’t change much for us students. However for the people who did follow this rule before, it will increase safety and comfort, and ease parent’s worries, now that students can inform their parents they arrived safely at school. However since phones are now allowed, it will be a distraction for many students, since many will think this means they can take advantage of the rule and be on their phones whenever they please. Although there are a few flaws within this new rule, I think the positive aspects outweigh the negative ones, and this new rule will make students and parents pleased.

[10tjustine]

I completely agree with you guys and personally am so glad Bill de Blasio is carrying out his plan to end this unwarranted ban against cell phones. Many LaGuardia students do not realize the actual struggles many students endure in schools that demand metal detectors for safety. Having gone to a school with metal detectors as well, I know the simple act of leaving your phone in a shady deli’s basket or van that can drive away at any moment is scary. How any student could ever be expected to learn in such a state baffles me still.
Banning the cell phone policy is not simply an act of appeasement to worried parents and broke (after paying to store phones about $30 a month) student. It is an embracement towards the future of learning. The modern school relies heavily on the Internet to share textbooks, grades, and assign homework. To ask students to do said work online work implies that these students have access to a computer. But tell me how a student can finish their work when there are no computers available at the library or computer lab? Oh yeah, they can use their phones. Using electronics, especially phones, is just the next step to allowing students to succeed in school if principles and other authority figures are willing to listen.

[3diegol]

Lifting the ban on cell phones within school is a step towards a more practical and productive learning environment. The future of learning is very easily leaning towards the more frequent use of electronics in the classroom and accessibility of educational resources via smartphones, tablets, and portable devices in general. As a current high school student, the vast majority of my peers own a smartphone and instead of leaving it in our bags with the fear that it may be confiscated, why not put it to use? It is very true that allowing students to use cell phones during class may prove to be very distracting and may even cause students to stray away from the traditional learning environment. However, as much of a distraction as it can be, allowing students to have phones in school will make it much easier for them to contact their parents in case of an emergency. The probability of having an actual emergency may be very slim, but precautions are more than necessary in order to be prepared for the worst case scenario. Instead of being viewed as a nuisance, phones should be integrated in our every day academic life and be used to our advantage. Students may also be off task when using their phones, but having the decision to pay attention or not is the responsibility of the student. In the future, as an adult no one is there at every second to instruct you on what to do. It is important for students to learn to be responsible and even face the consequences of making mistakes.

[6ckiara]

When I saw this story on the news, I got so excited. Gone are the days when Jackson can harass us to give him our phones even though only our headphones were in view. While Laguardia is more lenient than many other schools, such as the ones with metal detector scanning every day, it will be such a relief for us students. We will no longer be paranoid that a guard will see our phones peeking out from our pockets, or have to quickly hide our phones under our books as if they were drugs. The lengths that these guards and even the higher up administration go to are insane and unnecessary, since everyone knows that we all have phones and bring them to school. While there can be some disadvantages to having our phones in school with more freedom, such as the higher risk of distraction, everyone must admit that cell phones are such a prominent part of today's society, and we probably cannot live without them at this point. Moreover, teachers who are more lenient with cell phone use get more respect and attention from us; there is less need for us to hide our phones to send a text, and if the class has a question no one can answer, it is easy for the teacher to ask someone to Google it, promoting trust (to not abuse the privilege) and eventually, more learning. As a result, De Blasio's decision might not have much of an effect on the surface of things, but it will promote more trust in the students, safety (since we will be able to easily contact parents), and communication, which are all very important in today's society.

[6arianne]

I am very happy that Bill de Blasio is following through with his promise to lift the ban on cellphones in school. Though I expect it to come with certain limitations, it is nice to know that the Jackson won’t take away my phone when the sees my headphones sticking out of my pocket. Many schools in New York City have it much harder with metal detectors and extremely strict policies. Although this won’t affect LaGuardia students as much, many other students won’t have to worry about having to pass through a metal detector before having to go to first period or trusting their phones to a guy in a van. Lifting the ban will promote better communication with parents, especially during emergencies. They won't have to worry about how to directly contact their children, as they are just a text away. Students will also be able to contact their parents if they are not feeling well. In my own personal experiences at LaGuardia, I know the nurse sometimes isn't available. With the new cellphone policy, students would be able to contact their parents and tell them what’s wrong. Officially allowing cellphones in schools would be beneficial to students and parents.