Cell phones in class turning into problem at PHS

by Andrew Schultz

“Cell phones are not allowed to be in service during school. Cell phones are not to be visible. There is to be no text messaging during school. For a first offense students using their cell phone at inappropriate time will have their phone confiscated and returned to them at a later time.” That is an exact quote from the Pittsford High School handbook for 2008-2009. With the amount of kids in high school that have cell phones on them at all times, text messaging and sending outgoing calls during school hours (and sometimes in class) happens all the time.

Some kids may feel the need to carry a cell phone with them for emergency use only, like if one of their family members has a medical issue and they need to be reached. How would the school react? The stated penalty for cell phone usage is strict. “We see it, we confiscate it,” said PHS principal Mr. Cook. Obviously, some students disagree with this rule. “I think you should be able to use phones when you are at lunch, and outside so you can call home and see if anything is going on like emergencies or anything like that,” said senior Beau June. “They shouldn’t be turned on where they’re ringing out loud in class. If students have them on vibrating, I don’t see a problem with that. For instance, if there was an emergency at home, someone’s trying to get a hold of you; they can’t get a hold of you at the school if their lines are all busy,” said senior Gene Stockford. Some would argue that emergencies are why there is phones in every classroom and most teachers carry cell phones (or at least have them in the room somewhere), making that argument useless. “If there is an emergency we have plenty of telephones that the kids can use; every teacher has a telephone in their classroom,” explained Mr. Cook.

Obviously, students disagree with the cell phone policy. Out of 71 students polled, 28 students have texted in class before. Seventy-five percent of the students at PHS said that they have used cell phones for other uses than calling or texting, which includes using the calculator, playing games, web browser, and the camera in school.

There are numerous reasons for limiting cell phone use and access in school. “To head off cheating, head off calling outside people to come to our school for security reasons for instance,” are some examples provided by Mr. Cook. Cell phone use could also call into question the integrity of tests and assignments. “As far as the cheating aspect with the picture phones, you can take pictures of your notes at home, bring them to your classroom, put them in your coat, and you have pictures of your notes. You’re cheating,” said Mr. Cook.If you get caught with using a cell phone during school hours, the policy says it is to be confiscated and returned to you at a later time. Needless to say, don’t get caught using your cell phone during school hours. Cell phones are a nuisance to the teachers, especially when they ring during class time and distract everyone.