so are we feeling safer now?

So not only are the administrators control freaks but they are racketeers as well?

NANNY STATE

If I were principal, I'd take a bat to all of them. The phones, not the students.

Why not just have the schools invest in cellphone jammers? Surely, if the school can confiscate private property without due process, they can get around a piddly FCC rule...

eddyatwork: So not only are the administrators control freaks but they are racketeers as well?

indeed.

Oh this should be good.

I'll have to check this thread later.

PirateKing: Why not just have the schools invest in cellphone jammers? Surely, if the school can confiscate private property without due process, they can get around a piddly FCC rule...

If I had a part list and a set of plans I'd try to build one of those for myself. I'd keep it in my car and turn it on while driving around town.

Good.

I agree that jamming the signals would be better/easier, but since they currently can't do that....

Yay! Good to see a school district has the balls to say no to phones. The kids should be listening to the teachers, not their BFF Jill.

Yes and the minute any kind of tragedy happens on campus and somebody needs to call for help, they need to walk to the administrators office and ask to dial 911

What's next? $25 fee for carrying a backpack on to the school premises? School bus fuel surcharge?

Seems like a good idea.

Yeah, because students never use them to call their parents or make arrangements.

Taking the phones away is a good thing. Charging $25 to give them back is wrong, and will most likely result in some problems for those schools.

Whatever did we do (those of us old enough to remember life) without cell phones. It's insane that these precious little snowflakes are littered with all things unnecessary.

Weaver95: PirateKing: Why not just have the schools invest in cellphone jammers? Surely, if the school can confiscate private property without due process, they can get around a piddly FCC rule...

If I had a part list and a set of plans I'd try to build one of those for myself. I'd keep it in my car and turn it on while driving around town.

Yeah I like to court federal PMITA jail on a daily basis too. Fines for a first offense (for possessing a cellphone jammer) can range as high as $11,000 for each violation or imprisonment for up to one year, and the device used may also be seized and forfeited to the U.S. government.
(pops like your cellmate Bubba)

"Internet Tough Guy"--a lot harder to play in real life, son.

Mattyb710: Taking the phones away is a good thing. Charging $25 to give them back is wrong, and will most likely result in some problems for those schools.

this. a friend of mine will warn before she confiscates -- and only until the end of the day.

jplane2005: Yeah, because students never use them to call their parents or make arrangements.

Cause the office doesn't have a phone the students can use to make arrangements. We did have a time when everyone didn't have cell phones and we seem to have done just fine. Good for the school

delysid25: Yes and the minute any kind of tragedy happens on campus and somebody needs to call for help, they need to walk to the administrators office and ask to dial 911

That was good enough for my generation PLUS we didn't HAVE 911!!! This was only 30 years ago. We did just fine using the office phone when needed.

I teach at a high school. The policy there is that all i-pods and cell phones are to be confiscated and given to the student's administrator. At the end of the day, the student is allowed to pick up their items. Unfortunately this translates into most teachers begging students to put them away or turning a blind eye rather than actually enforcing the rule.

jplane2005: Yeah, because students never use them to call their parents or make arrangements.

Yeah, because doing so in the middle of class is an absolute necessity. It's amazing anyone ever made it through high school without a cell phone, not being in constant contact with their parents and all.

If I was one of those kids, this would be a blast!

All they would need is to make a concealed ringing device, that sounds like a cellphone.

Put it in something like a fat ink pen, which are common. Then hold it near somebody with a backpack and push the button. "Ring! Ring!", and they get their backpack searched.

"Where's the cellphone?"

"I don't own a cellphone!"

"We're going to get that cellphone if we have to strip search you!"

"But I don't *have* a cellphone!!!"

Haw!

Please note that this is Houston, MS...not Houston, TX.

06wildcat: jplane2005: Yeah, because students never use them to call their parents or make arrangements.

Yeah, because doing so in the middle of class is an absolute necessity. It's amazing anyone ever made it through high school without a cell phone, not being in constant contact with their parents and all.

if i had had a cell phone in high school, when they were still huge and expensive then -- like the bag phones (remember those?), i wouldn't want to be hearing from my parents all the time.

then again, my parents weren't up my ass all the time like some of the parents today.

Weaver95: so are we feeling safer now?

Keeping cell phones out of kids' hands during school has nothing to do with safety.

Both my boys have cell phones to call me , or for me to call in case of emergency. Both my boys have been told to refuse if ordered to turn them in. If the school takes them by force then I would be inclined to call the cops for robbery, assault and battery ... anything else I could think of. If that didn't stick then it would be time for civil court. Demanding $25 to return my property? I don't think so.

Seems like a reasonable compromise might be to require the parents to pick up the phones. This would put a crimp in mommy's day and probably have the same effect. Indeed, mommy might not even be interested in picking up the phone and Billy might have to go without until the end of the year/semester.

The $25 charge is too much, but I'm certainly behind confiscating them and punishing any kid talking on one during school.

Emeraldstar: nd battery ... anything else I could think of. If that didn't stick then it would be time for civil court. Demanding $25 to return my property? I

i'm not real hot on the idea of paying for my own property just to get it back. towing/parking/impound operations run a similar racket.

that said, turn that shiat off in class.

God forbid we do anything to make children focus on their classes.

Why the hell do you think this country is behind the world in EVERY SUBJECT?

/first warning, put away phone
//second warning, I take phone, and you write a 10-page paper on the history of the Ottoman Empire

Needlessly Complicated: What's next? $25 fee for carrying a backpack on to the school premises? School bus fuel surcharge?

Trust me, we already pay a school bus fuel surcharge through property taxes. You know that socialist program where everyone has to support the education of other peoples children.

Change happens. Progress Occurs. People keep talking about "well we didn't have that in my day" guess what, there was a time when there were no automobiles or air conditioning, but I bet you people use those every day. Cell phones are everywhere now and they are not going to regress, so accept that certain things that were once considered frivolous are now considered necessities.

The Third Man: "Internet Tough Guy"--a lot harder to play in real life, son.

Do you have any idea just how difficult it is to trace intermittent and low powered jamming signals? Especially if the source is mobile?

Big whoop. My school's done this for years, except I think the fine is only $10. Most of the teachers don't really care if you text in class, though, as long as you get what's going on.

Hit them with the RICO laws and see how long this shiat lasts.

Better yet, get the PTA to go down and hit the administrators with clubs. Nobody saw anything and who's going to believe the PTA is violent?

Good. I never had a cell phone (or pager for that matter) in my academic career, kids shouldn't either.

The best thing parents can do for their child in a public school is to have a lawyer on retainer.

Smeggy Smurf: Hit them with the RICO laws and see how long this shiat lasts.

Better yet, get the PTA to go down and hit the administrators with clubs. Nobody saw anything and who's going to believe the PTA is violent?


approves.

Bullitt: Please note that this is Houston, MS...not Houston, TX.

does it matter?

I see a business opportunity here. Something like the coin operated lockers you see at a bus station set up just off campus.

Emeraldstar: Both my boys have cell phones to call me , or for me to call in case of emergency. Both my boys have been told to refuse if ordered to turn them in. If the school takes them by force then I would be inclined to call the cops for robbery, assault and battery ... anything else I could think of. If that didn't stick then it would be time for civil court. Demanding $25 to return my property? I don't think so.

1. Leave your kids alone and let them concentrate on paying attention in class. If there is an emergency, there are phones in the office.

2. Let them live their lives without your constant interference. Let them find their own solutions.

3. Don't be a douche and teach them to go to the cops for every minor little thing. This country does enough of that already.

Uh, I dunno...

Maybe we live in a different world these days. Perhaps it's time to roll with the times.

2 things to think about:
Va Tech
9/11

On 9/11 I pulled a 6yr old out of school.
I kinda wished he had a cell phone that day for a number of reasons.

Mattyb710: Taking the phones away is a good thing. Charging $25 to give them back is wrong, and will most likely result in some problems for those schools.

Just what I was gonna say, but in addition I can't wait for the first teacher to be busted for their cellphone going off in class or even having one with them. A teacher doesn't need one during class.

The confiscation part I agree with though. I'm taking classes in college, and it's common for someone's phone to go off during class. sometimes multiple times from one person. Put it on vibrate and stop disturbing the class. I'm paying to learn not to have Mambo Number 5 playing from your phone at a loud volume.

Joshg: Seems like a reasonable compromise might be to require the parents to pick up the phones.

That's our school policy.

Honestly, it's not that hard at the start of the school year to just tell your students to put the phones on silent or vibrate. I do this every year.

Every once in awhile I have a phone ring during class. First time it's generally a warning. Second time with the same student I confiscate until the end of class. Third time and I send it to the VP.

I've never had to send a phone to the VP.

Also, if I get the opportunity at the beginning of the year, I'll hold my hand out acting like I'm going to confiscate the phone. But instead (in front of the whole class) I'll answer the call and start carrying on a conversation with the caller.

This seems to mitigate any problems.

Also, I assume one reason for this ban is because of the disruptive nature of a cellphone ringing during the middle of a lecture/test/lesson etc. It sort of derails everything for a second or two. If so, will the district be enforcing this policy during staff and faculty meetings?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

/gladly got rid of my cellphone over a year ago

DWitchiewoman: Uh, I dunno...

Maybe we live in a different world these days. Perhaps it's time to roll with the times.

2 things to think about:
Va Tech
9/11

On 9/11 I pulled a 6yr old out of school.
I kinda wished he had a cell phone that day for a number of reasons.


This is what I am talking about. Cell phones were invented to make communication easy in times of need. People now'adays may use them too frivolously but they are still an essential communication device.

dave2198: Why the hell do you think this country is behind the world in EVERY SUBJECT?

It probably has more to do with rampant anti-intellectualism and lowered school standards, and less to do with cell phones.

FYI, guys, save your breath. It is impossible to persuade any woman under age 30 that a mobile phone is not a necessity of life.

That said, why go through the trouble of confiscating them. Do what they do here and just use a short-range jammer in the building. Problem solved, and no one has to cry about it.

maxximillian: jplane2005: Yeah, because students never use them to call their parents or make arrangements.

Cause the office doesn't have a phone the students can use to make arrangements. We did have a time when everyone didn't have cell phones and we seem to have done just fine. Good for the school

I remember those fine days when my mom had an emergency and I was alone at school for up to two hours and something bad could have happened to me. I also remember days where I was vomiting or had a high fever but my parents weren't home to answer the phone so the school would not let me leave. Confiscate them for the day if they are caught using them during class, and don't charge them to retrieve it at the end of the day. It works fine.

I say let the distracted kids fail out of school. You want to text during class? Too bad "wen is da party 2nite" isn't going to be on the exam. There are also better ways for teachers to prevent cheating, like maybe paying attention to what's happening in the room.