Cell Phone Safety vs. School Rules
By Marissa MarkThe bell rings. A cell phone rings. A pager goes off during a lab somewhere across the building. The school is an electronic battlefield and authorities are fed up. Rules are being tightened and patience has been thrown right out the window. For the situations IUve just stated, there has been a huge leap in enforcement from lenient to ludicrous. Without warning, cell phones and pagers are being confiscated on sight. If a cell phone rings in class, I say, "Yeah! Take it away," because class interruptions are unnecessary. However, rules are being created arbitrarily in an attempt to contain the situation and the ramifications are fumbling towards unfair.
There is a certain amount of security that a teenage girl possesses, knowing that she is linked to the outside world. Without this link, a wave of panic and uneasiness floods her mind. The dependency upon pagers and cell phones, although perhaps excessive, is not unreasonable. Mostly, these devices are purchased for girls, by their parents for security reasons and safety issues. Someone who relies on electronic portable communication considers it very important to everyday life. And indeed it is.
The office is threatening to confiscate any pager or cell phone that is spotted or being used at school. That is really nothing new. The shocker is that they want to keep them until the end of the school year instead of the end of the day. This is quite a swift kick in the head to anyone whoUs not expecting consequences quite that intense. Miss Elizabeth Kish, Head of School, explains that each situation will be taken on a case by case basis.
Cell phones are the security blankets of the 21st century. What could be more reassuring than knowing that wherever you are, you can contact help, regardless of the situation? Mom and Dad or even the police are just a dive into the purse away. I carry one everywhere in case my car breaks down or some other situation where I might need help comes up. No finding a payphone, no fumbling with change. Just knowing this can fill anyone with reassurance, especially a teenage girl.
I guess my point is that I donUt think itUs right for the office to take possession of our safety precautions if we havenUt given them reason to. The office has a general right to be frustrated, but the staff should not have the right to take possession of our property. The office suggests leaving them in the car during the school day. This would be fine if there hadnUt been some serious security issues in the parking lot over the past few years. I just donUt understand why the office canUt be slightly more understanding, as long as the students can accept that the usage of pagers and cell phones at school is the problem, not the possession of them.
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