Name: __________________________
Period: _____
Cellular Telephone Bans:
The issue:
Should students' use of cellular
telephones (cell phones) be banned
on school property? Or should
students be permitted to use cell
phones without restrictions?
Directions: Use the article below to complete your
Contemporary Issue Research Notes. Highlight key facts
that represent arguments “for” and “against.”
Summary of Arguments
The issue: Should students' use of cellular telephones
(cell phones) be banned on school property? Or should
students be permitted to use cell phones without
restrictions?
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Table of Contents:
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Summary of Arguments
The Public Embraces Wireless Technology
Parents and Students Fight to Overturn Cell Phone
Bans
Ban Is Necessary, Backers Say
Cell Phone Ban Criticized
The Future of Cell Phone Bans
GT students must read all sections of the article. On-grade level
students must read the underlined sections and may read the
additional sections.

Supporters of cell phone bans say: Mobile phones serve
as a distraction when they are used in a classroom
environment. Students may use their phones for a variety
of unsavory activities, ranging from cheating on exams and
picking fights to coordinating drug deals. In order to make
schools safer and more conducive to learning, students
should not be permitted to use cell phones on campus.
Critics of cell phone bans say: For the most part,
students use wireless technology responsibly and without
disrupting classes. Rather than institute a wholesale ban
on cell phones, schools should punish cell phone abusers
on a case-by-case basis. Also, parents need their children
to have mobile phones to facilitate communication in the
event of an emergency.
Almost unheard of 20 years ago, cellular telephones-commonly referred to as cell phones--have become
ubiquitous in American culture. They are small, wireless
devices that allow people to make or receive phone calls
nearly anywhere in the U.S. In recent years, as technology
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has advanced, cell phones have also been increasingly used
for other purposes, such as taking photographs, shooting
short digital videos, listening to music and sending text
messages.
According to LetsTalk.com, an online retailer that sells
cellular devices, more than 200 million Americans own a cell
phone as of 2006. That figure, which accounts for roughly
two-thirds of the national population, perhaps explains why it
is so difficult to drive on the highway, walk along the street or
sit in a public place without seeing or hearing someone
talking on their phone. Many technology experts say that
wireless devices have revolutionized the way Americans
communicate with one another.
However, the nation's embrace of cell phone technology has
not pleased everyone, especially not school administrators.
Indeed, as cell phone use has become more prevalent
among American youth, schools around the country have
found themselves competing against wireless devices for
students' attention. Many teachers and principals allege that
ringing cell phones and text-messaging students interfere
with classroom activities and disrupt the learning process.
Reacting to such complaints, many school boards around the
country have controversially cracked down on student cell
phone use. [See 2006 One School's Cellular Telephone
Policy (sidebar)]
School cell phone restrictions, the first of which were
implemented in the late 1980s and early 1990s, have varied
in severity over the years. Some school districts have
implemented outright bans, threatening offending students
with suspensions. School administrators in Louisiana even
threatened student cell phone users with jail time for violating
the bans during the 1990s, though that policy has since been
overturned. Others, meanwhile, have tried a more lenient
approach, allowing students to carry cell phones, but
requiring that the devices be turned off while students are on
school property.
The attempted crackdowns in states such as Texas, Virginia,
Michigan and New York have been greeted with a mixture of
enthusiasm and contempt. While school administrators and
teachers traditionally support prohibitions on cell phone use,
students and parents often protest the restrictions. Most
students insist that they use their phones responsibly, and do
not disrupt classroom activities. Parents, for their part, assert
that their children should have cell phones to facilitate
communication in the event of an emergency.
As school boards debate the merits and drawbacks of cell
phone bans, a number of questions have surfaced regarding
the relationship between young people and wireless
technology. For example, can students be trusted to use their
cell phones in a manner that does not interfere with a
classroom's learning environment? Should teachers be
concerned that students may be using text-messaging
functions on their phones to cheat on exams? And are bans
imposed by a local school board even enforceable?
Supporters of student cell phone bans say that wireless
technology distracts students from learning. Young people
use their phones to chat with friends, send text messages or
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listen to music when they should instead be concentrating on
their education, backers of bans contend. By prohibiting cell
phone use on school property, proponents say, school
administrators can increase student participation in
classroom activities and allow teachers to more easily
command the attention of their students.
Cell phones on school campuses are also dangerous
because they contribute to criminal activity and cheating,
some ban advocates assert. Those supporters cite cell phone
theft as a frequent problem on school grounds, and charge
that students sometimes use their phones to coordinate drug
deals. Furthermore, they warn, students can use
technologically advanced cell phones to take photos of
exams or send test answers to a classmate in order to
facilitate cheating.
Opponents of school cell phone bans, on the other hand,
assert that schools' attempts to regulate students' cell phone
use are misguided. For the most part, critics say, students
use wireless technology responsibly and refrain from making
or receiving calls while in the classroom. Instead, students
usually use their phones before or after classes in order to
minimize the disruption, ban opponents assert.
While they acknowledge that some students use their phones
inappropriately on school property, critics maintain that it is
not fair to punish all students for the actions of a few. Ban
opponents recommend that school authorities confiscate
phones or punish students on a case-by-case basis, rather
than implement a blanket ban on all cell phone use. By
prohibiting student cell phone use altogether, they warn,
schools also sever an important communication link between
students and parents, hindering students' ability to contact
their families in the event of an emergency.
The Public Embraces Wireless Technology
After the federal government first allowed
telecommunications businesses to develop and run wireless
telephone networks in the early 1980s, it was only a matter of
time before portable communication devices were introduced
to the general public. The first such device to enjoy
widespread popularity was the pager, a small electronic
apparatus that received phone messages transmitted by
radio waves.
By the mid-1980s, the cell phone had joined the pager among
the forms of wireless technology gaining public acceptance.
But unlike pagers, early cell phone models were bulky, and
not easy to carry around. For that reason, pagers remained
the wireless communications device of choice for the
remainder of that decade and into the early 1990s.
Students in schools across the country owned pagers, largely
due to their novelty and affordability. The devices were
relatively unobtrusive in an academic setting, until school
administrators noticed an unsettling trend: Apparently many
drug dealers used pagers to arrange meetings with clients.
After that use of pagers became widely known, school
districts and state legislatures around the U.S. rushed to
impose bans on pager use on school property. The
crackdown sparked little opposition at the time, since many
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believed that outlawing pagers would help curb illicit drug
sales in and around schools. In the rush to ban pagers, some
school districts also instituted a prohibition on other forms of
wireless technology, including cell phones.
During the 1990s, as cell phones became smaller and easier
to transport, they enjoyed a surge in popularity among both
adults and students. However, students caught using the
devices on school property could be subject to harsh
punishment. In Florida, a student found in possession of a
cell phone could receive a 10-day suspension from school. In
Louisiana, cell phone possession on school property could
earn the offender a 30-day stint in jail.
Despite the severe penalties threatened in some areas,
growing numbers of students began carrying cell phones as
the 1990s progressed. Analysts linked the trend to
technological developments in the wireless electronics
industry that resulted in smaller, cheaper and more powerful
phones.
As cell phones became more prevalent on school campuses
during the late 1990s and early 2000s, some state
legislatures reconsidered their existing bans on the devices.
Maryland and Virginia, for example, struck down statewide
prohibitions on cell phones in schools and instead gave local
school districts the power to design their own cell phone
policies. While some school districts in those two states
elected to uphold the existing ban, others adopted a more
relaxed attitude, and permitted students to carry cell phones
on campus so long as the devices were not used.
Parents and Students Fight to Overturn Cell Phone Bans
In 1999 and 2001, two watershed events occurred in the U.S.
that redefined how many people thought about cell phone
use in schools. The first incident took place on April 20, 1999,
when two students at Columbine High School in Littleton,
Colo., went on a shooting rampage, murdering 12 students
and one teacher and wounding 24 other students before
committing suicide. As the rampage unfolded, several
students in the school contacted law-enforcement authorities
and family members via cell phone to inform them of the
situation. Many observers said that the students' use of cell
phones that day helped the police respond more quickly to
the shootings.
The second event took place on Sept. 11, 2001, when
terrorists hijacked airliners and crashed them in New York
City, Arlington, Va., and Shanksville, Pa. On that day, parents
of students in the affected areas used cell phones to get in
touch with their children and make sure they had not been
harmed. In the aftermath of the attacks, parents throughout
the country campaigned vigorously to have school cell phone
bans overturned, arguing that the devices could act as
lifelines in emergency situations.
An October 2001 statement released by the Yankee Group, a
Boston, Mass.-based consulting and research firm, predicted
that cell phones would continue to play an important role in
emergency situations. "The widespread use of wireless
phones and other devices on [Sept. 11] will lead many
consumers and corporations to view wireless technologies as
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necessities rather than conveniences," the company
asserted.
But despite the well-documented usefulness of cell phones in
emergencies, the devices remained problematic in some
school districts. As students' phones became more
technologically advanced, with text messaging and
photographic features, school administrators fretted over the
implications. Gayle Fallon, head of the Houston (Texas)
Federation of Teachers, alleged that cell phones had
"brought new meaning to cheating," since students in her
district were apparently using their phones to share answers
on exams.
Consequently, while some schools caved in to parental
pressure and repealed existing cell phone bans, others
remained steadfast in their conviction that a classroom
environment without cell phone interruptions was more
conducive to learning. But ban or no ban, statistics released
by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in 2005 showed
that 45% of children between the ages of 12 and 17
possessed their own phone.
Some technology analysts construed those figures to mean
that if schools were prohibiting cell phone use, they were not
enforcing the bans very strictly. In fact, many schools have
acknowledged that they have informal "don't ask, don't tell"
cell phone policies, whereby students are allowed to carry
phones on school property so long as they do not let faculty
members see them.
As of mid-2006, school districts in New York and Texas,
among other places, are debating whether to uphold or
repeal cell phone bans at their schools. In many places,
observers say, the debate over student cell phone use has
essentially become an annual ritual. But despite years of
struggling with the issue, they say, U.S. schools seem no
closer to adopting a uniform policy than they were 15 years
ago.
Ban Is Necessary, Backers Say
Many elected leaders and school administrators contend that
school cell phone bans are necessary because students' cell
phone use interrupts the learning process. By using their
phones to listen to music, chat with friends, play games, take
photos or send text messages, students become distracted
and cannot focus on lessons being presented by their teacher
in the classroom, supporters of a ban say. "The reality is that
if cell phones are allowed in our schools, they will be used,
and they will be used inappropriately," asserts New York City
Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott.
Banning cell phone use in schools helps preserve the
"sanctity of the classroom," according to Mary Beth King, a
trustee on the Plano, Texas, school board. If cell phones
were permitted on school grounds, King asserts, students
would be unlikely to focus on educational activities, since
they would be busy interacting with friends, playing video
games or skipping class altogether. Paul Schlichtman, a
member of the Arlington (Mass.) School Committee,
elaborates:
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High school students are social animals. A cell phone or pager can
very easily become the focal point of a student's day. A page could
signal a meeting at the lavatory, a call to skip fourth-period class in
favor of a trip to Dunkin' Donuts, or any other message that
distracts from teaching and learning.
Some cell phone ban proponents oppose wireless technology
in school because, they say, cell phones and other devices
can foster academic dishonesty. As evidence, those backers
cite accounts of students using phones with advanced
technological features to cheat on their tests. "It's becoming
more and more of a problem," insists James McSwain,
principal of Lamar High School in Houston, Texas. Cell
phones, he says, "enable cheating academically. You can
text-message quietly. You can take pictures."
Other supporters contend that cell phone bans will lead to a
decrease in on-campus crime. Backers say that cell phones
are appealing to thieves because they are sometimes
valuable and are relatively easy to steal, due to their small
size. Indeed, in New York City schools alone, nearly 700
phones were stolen during the 2005-06 academic year,
according to Walcott.
Cell phones generate crime in other ways, backers of cell
phone bans add. Sometimes, they claim, bullies use their
phones to arrange fights with other students, specifying a
time and place where the parties should meet to fight. In
other cases, ban supporters say, students use their phones
to coordinate drug deals on school property. If student cell
phone use was eliminated, proponents argue, on-campus
crime rates would likely drop as a result.
Supporters of cell phone bans also dispute critics' assertion
that student cell phone use is important in the event of a
emergency. While many parents claim that their children
must have cell phones so that they can be reached at critical
moments, backers insist that parents can easily reach their
children by contacting the school. Consequently, the
argument that cell phones enhance students' safety is not
valid, they say. "Should an emergency arise and a student
needs access to a phone, they can use a phone in the office
of any of our schools," says Mike Keeney, a spokesman for
the Aldine Independent School District in Texas.
Finally, some ban proponents criticize students' devotion to-and apparent reliance on--wireless technology. Those
supporters point out that prior to the 1990s, people of all ages
managed their daily lives without the aid of cell phones. The
public's ability to live without the devices for most of the 20th
century proves that mobile phones are not essential to
human existence, supporters contend. "Students functioned
well before cell phones," says Dave Szychlinski, former
president of Wisconsin's Franklin School Board. "They're not
necessary for students in their daily activities."
Cell Phone Ban Criticized
Critics of student cell phone bans argue that, despite what
opponents say, wireless technology can help enhance
student safety. In the event of an emergency, such as a
kidnapping or a school shooting, opponents say, phones can
act as a vital link between students and adults. Also, given
that students often travel alone as they go to school in the
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morning or attend after-school activities later in the day,
mobile phones allow parents to check in with their children
periodically to ensure that nothing has happened to them,
opponents of bans assert.
"There are valid reasons for kids to have cell phones,"
remarks Ned Waterhouse, deputy superintendent of schools
for Virginia's Loudon County, where cell phone policy was
changed in early 2001 to permit students to carry turned-off
cell phones. "A lot of parents want them for safety's sake," he
adds.
In general, many parents oppose student cell phone bans
because they say that wireless technology helps give them
peace of mind regarding their children's whereabouts, which
they would not otherwise have. Since mobile phones
strengthen communications between parent and child, they
say, the devices should not be banned, but rather embraced.
"I had many an anxious night when [my children] were late
and I didn't know where they were," says Susan Carr, a
parent of a student at Manhattan Hunter Science High School
in New York City. "I no longer have to endure that. Why
should I?"
The U.S. student population, which is almost uniformly
opposed to cell phone bans, says the prohibitions are
unnecessary because most students use their phones
responsibly while on school property. If students are told to
turn their phones off during class, most comply, opponents
say. "We just follow the rules," says Erin Banks, a junior at
Houston's Lamar High School. "I leave mine in my purse."
While critics acknowledge that some students use their
phones inappropriately during school hours, they maintain
that all students should not be punished for the actions of a
few. Rather than institute a total ban on cell phone use on
campus, school administrators should handle problems
individually, opponents contend. "I would prefer to confiscate
devices and charge in-school suspensions for in-school users
or disrupters on a case-by-case basis, but not ban
possession by students who use them responsibly," says
Curt Johnston, a board member on Georgia's Cobb County
School Board.
Some opponents assert that by banning cell phones, school
boards and state legislatures are showing that they are
resistant to technological innovations and cannot adapt to
changes in society. Whereas ban supporters see only the
problems posed by wireless technology, they say, ban
opponents see cell phones as devices full of possibility. For
example, they say, as technology advances, students might
eventually use their phones as an academic tool. Indeed,
according to some technology experts, mobile phones may
eventually have uses as calculators, dictionaries and Internet
browsers that can be used for research.
"I believe it is our job to teach people how to use technology
effectively," says Dick Nepon, a former member of the
Allentown (Pa.) School Board. "It's not our job to make
administration's task easier at the expense of slowing
technology's intrusion into public school life."
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The Future of Cell Phone Bans
With cell phones no longer being the novelty that they were at
the dawn of the 1990s, people are gradually becoming more
aware of when it is appropriate--and when it is inappropriate-to use them in public. "We see that people are beginning to
put up boundaries and evolve social norms about when and
where they should use their cell phones," says Delly Tamer,
chief executive officer (CEO) of LetsTalk.com. She adds,
"Bathrooms, movies and theaters are out. Cars and
supermarkets are in." But what about schools? [See 2006
Suggested Guidelines for Using a Cellular Telephone
Responsibly (sidebar)]
Since school boards and state legislatures have been
wrestling with the concept of school cell phone bans for more
than a decade, observers say that it is unlikely that a
definitive national policy will emerge in the coming years. Part
of the problem, they say, is that both sides of the debate are
strongly convinced that the other side is wrong.
While teachers and administrators largely view mobile
phones as nuisances that must be restricted, parents and
students view cell phones as convenient tools of modern life
that come in handy during emergency situations. The only
element of the ongoing debate that is not disputed by either
side, it seems, is that cell phones are growing more and more
prevalent in American society.
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