Smart phones should not

be allowed in
the school

Aiana Francine Alanis

irish Poebe Zwayne Bueno

Alexis Ann Candia

Ann Christine Larga

Yumira Payte

Andrea Monique Sañano

Jerald Tendero

Ms. Areen Sarah Lois U. Usi MAEd

 Everybody has a cellular phone in this modern world. Seventy-five percent of
twelve to seventeen-year-olds owned mobile phones by 2010, and that figure
increased over the past two years (Ludden). Recently, the use of cellular phones for
exam fraud, a new way of passing notes, and even cyber bullying have become
major problems. Brevard County already has stringent mobile use rules in schools,
when students found with a cell phone receive a summons, their telephone is
confiscated and they may lose their telephone rights after repeated offenses
(Student / Parent Contract). But these laws are sufficiently strict? If fifty-four percent
of students admit they are not (Ludden) using phones in schools where similar rules
are in place. Cell phones need to be excluded from schools for the good of the
students.

What would you like to do without a week; your mobile phone or toothbrush?
This question was answered by 40% of iPhone users (Ludden). As a culture we are
addicted to our cell phones and teenagers are by far the worst offenders to send
more texts a day than any other age group, an average of 333 per month in 2010
(Watters).
When the dismissal bell rings at just about any school, you're sure to witness dozens
of students almost instantly whipping out their phones. For the time they are at
school, it would be good not only for the learning of students but also for their well
being to isolate them from their devices. Many people who use cell phones too much
also experience headaches and even a phantom ringing sound distracting them and
keeping them awake at night. (Braff)

Apart from the health effects, texting in school is well known to have become
arising problem. Many will take this as an opportunity to use them if students are
allowed to have their phones in class with them. This leads to class
disruption,bullying, and even test cheating. (Cohen) There was also some discussion
about the spelling and writing effects of text in the classroom setting.If students write
in class, their grades may be affected by "computer talk." In an edutopia survey, 54%
of people found that texting had an effect on young people's writing habits. (Watters)

One of the most common reasons parents want their children to keep their
phones at school with them is so that their children can contact them in the event of
an emergency. Moreover, cell phones can sometimes produce as many problems as
they solve in an emergency situation. Only so many signals are taken at once and
too many signals may cause the system to crash. For example, take the recent
Virginia earthquake; as many people rushed to call their friends and relatives, the
mobile and landline networks had been down for up to an hour. This caused mass
panic for a short time, and the earthquake knocked down cell towers and telephone
poles. In a situation such as this, it could make the telephone system of the school
useless if hundreds of children start making calls at once. (Rush) Not only can cell
phones intensify school incidents that can even trigger them, but students have been
known to use bomb threats to get out of class. Jefferson had a threat from the bomb
last year, the whole school was evacuated and the hazmat team had to search the
building. A disgruntled student who didn't want to go to school that day started all this
because of a post on Facebook. If a student has their mobile on at school when they
are upset with a classmate or teacher, they can do a post like this; throw the school
into a frenzied state of emergency. Although the student would later be expelled for
the bomb threat, but if phones were not allowed to avoid cases like this in the first
place, precious class time would be saved.

Allowing school cell phones is a threat to students ' health and education.
Prohibition of cell phones is in everyone's best interests; it will increase the grades of
the students, isolate them from the negative effects for a couple of hours, and allow
the school to keep the students safe in an emergency and even stop bomb threats.
By simply banning them from their campus, schools have the power to help prevent
all these things that cell phones can cause.

Not only would cell phones annoy the children who hold them, they also serve
as a threat to the children who do not have their cell phones on them and try to learn.
With a cell phone's constant interference going off and out, many students may
struggle to pay attention and stay focused at class.

Test cheating would also become an increasing problem. Cheating is already

a big issue in many universities. Cheating would become simpler when students are
allowed to bring and use their cell phones. If students are allowed to use their cell
phones, they can't really be restricted by the administrators and tell them they can't
have it that day for a certain time.
 We should feel safe when children go to school. The only thing we can care
about is their schooling. With the problem of bullying taking place in so many
schools, however, many children go to school in terror. It may threaten their
emotional and physical well-being at school when students get bullied, it may also
affect their learning. When students are constantly threatened, they won't be able to
concentrate in the classroom and get the education they want. If cell phones were
allowed in schools, it would make it much easier to bully. It would spread rumors and
news ten times faster than if nobody had their cell phones on them. This faster form
of bullying would make school worse for already-intimidated children.

If school principals want their students to succeed, they would encourage their
students to bring their cell phones to school, but they would not carry them around or
have them in any of their classes. Students would be allowed to contact their parents
after class, and in case of an emergency, by keeping their cell phones in school. But
not being allowed to have them in class at the same time will allow students to focus
and learn what they need to learn in order to be successful in life.