Is Cell Phone Use in Schools a Constitutional Issue?

[Anomalocaris]

I think property right is infringed if the cell phone is confiscated permanently. However, it is not infringed if the student is required to surrender the cellphone on demand while on school property, to be returned at such time when the student departs school grounds.

[thesummerqueen]

Leaving it in the administration's office was as good as losing it in the shitter, at least in my school. Unless they want to delegate a safe for those items, fuck that.

[Anomalocaris]

for the record, I agree - I just don't think they have the right to confiscate it. Give the kid detention.

The alternative that involves something less than punishement is to tell the student to leave the school grounds immediately with his cell phone, which is, in my opinion, a solution less condusive to the fundamental purpose of the school to instruct the student, as compared to confiscating the cell phone for the duration of the students presence in school, where he is presumably still being instructed.

[Minimalist]

Leaving it in the administration's office was as good as losing it in the shitter, at least in my school. Unless they want to delegate a safe for those items, fuck that.

It becomes the responsibility of the agency holding the property to safeguard it until it is returned to the owner.


Needless to say, this presupposes that the school has properly adopted a regulation that electronic devices are not to be used on school grounds and if found will be held in a designated location until the end of the school day.

[fr0d0]

I've discussed similar things with teachers way too much in the past.

It depends on the control the school, and to a lesser extent, the teachers have over the students. Freedom is the ideal, and that gets eroded where discipline is an issue. In an ideal world > some private schools where there are 7 kids in a class, and students want to be there and the relationship is open and constructive, it wouldn't be a problem at all.

The reality for the majority, in all but the most fortunate schools, in overcrowded schools teachers need to implement draconian measures to get some semblance of an education going on.

[Violet]

some semblance of an education going on.

Don't kid yourself, brother... there is no education to be had in that place.

[fr0d0]

Ain't that the truth sis.