Phone policy voted down

After debate among board members and several comments from students and parents, Shippensburg Area School District voted against the high school's proposed cell phone policy yesterday.

[Unreal]

It never ceases to amaze me that a statement is made that the school will not "run our families". The educational process is being hindered and distracted by cell phones. The board caved into the public... when will policies be looked at what is educationally sound and whatever is interfering with that process needs addressed. Just one more "discipline" that teachers will now have to administer when a policy as simple as this could have addressed it. There are no "rules" as a few parents always get their way.

[psychojinx]

now how are the girls gonna do that if the clothes they wear have no pockets, and purses get the locker treatment, like bookbags??

[fatboy]

Why does a child need a cell phone in school ? We previous generations somehow survived without them. Maybe this is why we actually learned to read and write in school.

[Dave]

I am shocked that I survived my teenage years without a cell phone, i pod, walkman, or whatever.

It may be shocking to some people, but we can actually survive without that electronic embelical cord.

[Hang Up and Learn]

There are simple solutions for the father who was quoted in the article.

Lock the locker, and leave messages about schedule changes.

It makes one wonder how folks managed to survive prior to cell phones.

[Adam]

School board caved in to the whiners. If the cells are locked up in a student's locker, then the student can retrieve the cell at lunchtime or when the student has time to use the cellphone. Many of the whining students want to carry their cell around because it's a status symbol and treated like an item of jewelry. Weak school board IMHO.

[Carol1]

None of us (I hope) went to school with students who brought in guns and shot kids. Myself, when I first heard that, I said, why didn't one of those kids use their cell phones and call thier parents.
P.S. I don't own one, and the only time I have one is if I'm traveling coast to coast.

[noone]

Adam wrote:

School board caved in to the whiners. If the cells are locked up in a student's locker, then the student can retrieve the cell at lunchtime or when the student has time to use the cellphone. Many of the whining students want to carry their cell around because it's a status symbol and treated like an item of jewelry. Weak school board IMHO.

With all the violence in schools today why wouldn't you want the students to have cell phones, the policy of keeping in handbag or pocket and off will work.

[CASHS 1992 alum]

I see no reason for students/kids/children to have cell phones in the first place! They have no business taking cell phones to school and if they insist on taking them to school then they SHOULD be left in the locker - and LOCKED - for crying out loud. My children will NOT have a cell phone until they become an adult at which time the choice is up to them about whether or not they want and/or need a cell phone!

[TRC]

What an insult to the SASHS administration and faculty. They saw a definite problem and a need for policy change, and were denied their request. Students will continue to use their cellphones in class, disrupting the educational process. The only way to stop this problem is to forbid students (ALL students, even those who followed the existing policy) from having their cellphones during the school day! And the school has the legal power of loco parentis; they do control those students when they're in school, regardless of what some parents may think. Lastly, they may think they're young adults, but they act like children too often, and must unfortunately be treated as such, regardless of what some parents and a few school board members think!

[ANJ]

Mr. Young's statements reflect a growing problem. Once again, a parent puts the needs of their ONE child ahead of the betterment of the entire student population. He feels HIS rules should apply to everyone, everywhere...even outside the four walls of his own home. Does Mr. Young teach his children to disobey other rules they don't like or agree with? Will it be ok to run red lights or litter the ground with trash because he or his wife or his daughter feel it's "inconvenient" to obey such laws?

And Mrs. Young...you don't teach a child to become an adult by telling someone who has authority over you that you won't follow their rules because you don't like them...that's a great way to lose a job or get arrested...accepting that life isn't always fair might be a good place to start...

And, what proof does Mr. Young have to back up his claim the schools aren't safe?(As quoted in the Carlisle Sentinel).

What evidence or research shows kids to be safer in school while in the possession of a cell phone?

As a school board member, I would have "questioned" Mr. Young's claims. I would have also reminded him that while he may rule the roost in his own home, he does not have the authority to dictate which rules his daughter will and will not follow while on school property under the supervision of school administrators and teachers. No backbone on that board...

I wonder, too, how many other school board meetings Mr. Young and his wife have attended to voice concerns and/or offer suggestions relating to ACADEMIC and/or EDUCATIONAL issues? It might show where their priorities are?

I do, however, feel bad for the daughter...she has a splash of "reality" coming her way once she leaves the protection (and self-focused world) of mommy and daddy...