Parents and School Fight Over Banning of Students' Cellphones

Parents of U.S. students and the schools their children attend are battling over the issue of whether students should be allowed to bring their mobile phones to school. Schools believe that phones are distractions while parents believe that they can save lives.

According to the Associated Press, school administrators and educators say that cellphones make it harder for students to learn since they are causing major distractions. They also believe many students are struggling with mental and behavioral issues and utilization of cellphones in school tends to aggravate these.

But parents are not giving their approval on the school's banning of mobile phones.

Coming from continuous fear and threat of school shootings, parents believe that it is necessary for their children to bring with them their phones for safety precautions.

Parents are divided

There is an even bigger clash on the issue that cellphones can be used by the students to record what is actually happening to them during school day.

According to parents, this makes schools reluctant to allow phones in the classroom. Yet, they believe that this reasoning gives schools a lack of accountability. Cellphones are a protective tool for their children to use and record any questionable actions or behaviors of school teachers and staff.

Shannon Moser, a mother of two students who are in the 8th and 9th grades attending school in Rochester, New York, stated that fellow parents from both sides of the political spectrum were upset when the school district began locking up students' mobile phones during the school day. She said everything is becoming so " politicized, so divisive," when parents just have this general fear of not knowing what is happening to their children during the school day.

But not all parents are on the side of Ms. Moser. There are actually moms and dads that do support the banning of cellphones in school for the reason that they believe their kids are spending too much time in front of the screen, and it is becoming an addiction, Phone Arena reported.

A clinical associate professor of education technologies at the University of Michigan, Liz Keren-Kolb, expressed that she understands the two sides of the equation.

"You still have the parents that want to have that direct line of communication and have concerns over their child not being able to have that communication. But I do think that there's more of an empathy and an understanding toward their child being able to put away their device so they can really focus on the learning in the classroom, and wanting that face-to-face experience," Keren-Kolb explained.

Read Also: How Smartphones Create Distractions in the Classroom

The distractions need to stop

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 90 percent of schools prohibited the use of cellphones decade ago. The number dropped to 65 percent for the 2015-2016, and by the school year 2019-2020, 76 percent of schools were banning students' handsets.

Two states, California and Tennessee, have already passed laws allowing schools to limit/prohibit usage of cellphones by students, for the reason that usage interferes with the "educational mission of schools, lowers pupil performance, promotes cyberbullying, and contributes to an increase in teenage anxiety, depression and suicide."

The Washington School District in Western Pennsylvania banned students' cell phones for the first time this year.

District Superintendent George Lammay stated that the ban was the best thing to do as students using their handsets in the hallways, cafeteria, and even while classes are ongoing need to be stopped. Kids were even calling home and taking calls in the middle of class.

The banning of mobile phones allowed students to learn without the distraction, and more so, it helped them engage with their classmates and fellow students, Lammay expressed.

Related Article: Survival Game: 9 Teen Gave Up Their Cellphones For A Week