Presently, there seems to be a purge catching on across the USA to remove cellphones from school students while in class.
Although this may seem good for concentrating on lessons, it takes away the one thing that an individual student will require should a school shooting occur, or knowledge that an individual is carrying a weapon inside school…direct communication.
There have been many school shootings and attempted school shootings that have been stopped, and lives have no doubt been saved, simply because a student was able to immediately call 911.
Even in my own child’s school a few years ago, there was a rumour that a student had taken a gun to school. My child immediately called me to ask what they should do.
Leave was my answer, head home until I go to the school and find out what’s going on.
Many students followed her out of the school.
It turned out to be a false alarm, but had it been for real, those who had chosen to leave would no longer have been in danger.
My daughter went back to the school approximately 2 hours later…safe.
It’s good to have the phone on you as a student, it’s easy for the school staff to say keep it in a pocket, if I see it out during lessons, then you will definitely lose it.
Education in a country with so much school gun crime is key. And therefore, an understanding of why students can keep their phones, but not play with them during class, will win over trust from both sides.
Bob Shepherd 