Adam Santos Cell Phone Use Policy Article

http://awurl.com/Y2vB7uStB


Taken from a news article on FoxNews.com I found an article where two boys forwarded pictures of nude females around to other classmates in the school. These pictures reached hundreds of students and administrators are scrambling to think of disciplinary action against this many students. The cell phone policy in Galveston Country district is that cell phones are forbidden on campus. I think that this policy, despite it's obvious flaw in the case of inappropriate use of camera phones, is very flawed. First, this usage policy calls for a clear ban on all cell phone use. How do administrators plan on enforcing such a policy? In the case of this article, it is clear that they can not. There is no way unless under the mass orchestration of many administrators, every day, as students walk into the building, would they be able to monitor whether or not students are bringing cell phones into the schools. Such a policy is impossible to enforce, and students know this! Students know that as long as no administrator or teacher actually see their phone then they are not as risk.
Also banning phones outright does not prevent cases like this from ever happening. All that needs to happen is for ONE student to bring their phone to school and forward pictures/messages to students at any time, even outside of school. Students do not have to be physically present with their phones to receive or forward messages. By forbidding phones on campus none of these policies prevent any of these cases from reoccurring.

I think the only preventive way to keep this sort of instances from occurring is to educate students on appropriate cell phone use in the classroom. Yes, this does mean instructing students the dangers of taking nude photos for their boyfriends or girlfriends. And instructing the students the hurtful influences that they have over other students with their phones. Students should be instructed in the classroom appropriate cell phone use and should have strict disciplinary actions when they are broken. Only by educating students on the WHY of a cell phone policy will they respect and understand why such rules are in place. Outright banning all cell phones does not teach students why they are being banned. Students should have the opportunity to display responsibility, and schools should be a place where students learn and display responsibility for their actions.