The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday at noon.
Today’s question:
San Mateo high school has banned all cell phone use during the day, even at break-time, and during emergencies.
The students are required to lock their cell phones in a pouch when they arrive at school each morning. When school is over, the pouch is unlocked. If there is an emergency, the school says they will take care of the situation without the use of cell phones.
QUESTION: Do you think this is a good idea, and do you think all schools should do this? Or do you like being able to contact your child in case of an emergency without having to go through the school’s office?
Talk about it….
55 comments
I think its great, less distractions and more learning. Should of been done long ago.
Lets be honest. The only reason a parent couldn’t contact their child via the school office is if an active shooter was on campus. As soon as we have an armed police officer at every entrance at every school, I’ll keep sending my kid to school with a cell phone.
So what would you tell your kid during the active shooter? Hide? Get down? Goodbye? Call 911? Sorry, but except for the last one, none will help your kid. But I do like the idea of an armed response on campus.
Don’t forget the bubble wrap and helmet.
The purpose of a cell phone is to locate ones child AFTER the emergency has occurred. Must have been terrifying for people trying to locate their loved ones: 1) after the planes hit the towers 2) after the dust settles from an active shooter
If I were a student at that school, I wouldn’t give up my phone. I would just bring an old one to throw in the pouch. I’ll be the one to decide if I need my phone in an emergency, not my teachers.
Can we assume you’d agree that expulsion is warranted if you’re caught using the phone?
So you don’t think that kids should respect authority? I hope you’re not a parent.
Rollo,
Maybe suspension, but I think expulsion might be a bit harsh.
KD,
Yes, I’m not only a parent but a grandparent. And I assure you that every one of my kids has a respect for authority without blindly following it. You might be ok with the school seizing your child’s personal property when it’s not a danger to anybody, but I’m not.
Suspension doesn’t teach a high school student a damned thing, especially when the parent supports the action that resulted in suspension.
Chicken Little-
When kids are in school, they go by school rules, and the teachers rules. If not, you’re disrespecting the school and your teachers. You have no respect for authority, whether you realize it or not. You don’t know the meaning of respect. If you want your kids to go by your rules, you home school them. Otherwise, you don’t get to call the shots. You don’t own school or the district. You’re just a taxpayer like everyone else.
That being said, kids don’t need cell phones, especially in class. In class they should be LEARNING.
That ancient Chinese guy Confuesus had a wise old wonton barrel philosophy that went something like:
“When school suspend student… lesson learned by parents”
But won’t the children suffer anxiety?
I think this is a fantastic step in the right direction. Bravo, SMHS!
I remember doing something similar in high school. I was so scared of what if there was an active shooter or an earthquake. What help would that do to take a child’s one reach to the outside during times of emergency.
Phones would be unlocked in emergency. Just not gong off disrupting lessons. If Parents have the emergency they can call school office like the old days and message will be relayed to call home.
Sounds like some nervous Parents should home school.
Auntie B…San Mateo high school has banned all cell phone use during the day, even at break-time, and during emergencies.
Of course it’s a good idea. Not only will it allow the kids to pay more attention during class, it will also give them the opportunity to learn social skills by socializing during recess.
If anything, children should be taught not to bury their nose into their phone while walking out in public, especially when crossing the street.
Schools got along fine before the invention of the smart phone and they will get along fine now.
We all survived without any cell phones, pagers etc. Teacher should have a phone in her classroom for emergencies and child’s phone unlocked in emergency situations, that teacher cannot help with, but otherwise lock um up!
Time to get back to basics when life was better and kids were kids with REAL friends, not pretend facebook, instagram and texting zombies walking around.
Keep the focus at school on learning. I would be more concerned if 1 out of 1,000,000 chance it did happen that I do not want parents calling distracting my child from trying to stay alive or worse disclosing their location with a phone ringing.
Wow finally a common sense thought from a school
And what do we get but the chicken little sky is falling comments
But what if
Sorry lol to inform you but you voted out the what if’s
And now the communist era begins clamping down on your pre adult children
Your next don’t worry
It’s amazing that decades of children lived and breathed with a phone ahhh
Touting shooter and life line really …why not aliens and zombies too
The comment to this are hilarious as to why it’s not a good idea
What next you’ll say they need their phone and a stun gun or real gun just Incase lol
The hilarity is you are probably think yes right now
Please you allready is won the police state you are voting for and forcing your children to bare is here king newscum will control them and you and illegals will serve you as indentured servants
Whoa flash back to slavery well you are repeating history so you get all the mud with it . As you should your voting is forcing anti freedom .
Your voting has made this happen and I am sure your thinking was to instill perfection …no genders no manhole cover or straws or soda or or cheap fuel or paved roads or sturdy bridges or dams or competency in politicos
Your utopia is here andthisnisnhownit starts
You have followed the agenda of democrats to scare people to motivate them the media hyped up shootings and even broadcasting swat movements and giving money to parents or family for stories of said shooters even emboldening to act so their family can profit
The faucet your u opened is broken and can’t be fixed
The future Of your choices is here and can not be fixed
King newscum will not listen to you
He is in control and instituting his control
You are the ones who chose all of our path
Instead of denouncing the future…own it be proud of your actions and the life you leave for your children under democrat communist rule
Your work is done …the future of this state secured and you won
ENJOY IT
LOL
If they could only ban them for twenty four hours a day.
Let them keep their phones. But make it clear there will be punishment like detention or a large essay due if they are caught using the phone for non-school work or family matters.
Last year more kids were killed in schools by guns than Americans in Afghanistan. The lawmakers are dragging their feet on doing anything to slow down school shootings.
Last year, more Americans died in American than kids were killed in schools by guns.
Do they get to keep there phones in detention? Or if they get caught, will they be on super secret detention?
Threatening kids with punishment won’t help, they will outsmart you.
Kids today are connected at the hip with cell phones. This is not good.
Even playing with them in the crib. This is not good either.
Parents are buying their kids phones (and vape pipes) so start with them.
The cell phone technology trap has already been set for you.
I’m one of the only people on the planet who has never owned a cell phone.
Even when I owned my own business I didn’t need one.
You don’t need one. Your kids don’t need one either.
(Although to be honest Mrs. Noj doesn’t appreciate me asking her to “look this up.” all of the time)
Watch the show Undercover High to get a sense for how pervasive and disruptive cell phones have actually become in high school these days. This might be a little extreme, but a step in the right direction for sure.
Fantastic idea!! But the libs won’t understand. They want their brats to do whatever they please, otherwise they’ll express themselves with a public temper tantrum.
I was adamantly opposed to my children having cell phones – and then 9-11 happened. I went out and got phones for each of them, and they understood that their phones needed to be shut off during classes.
He!! yes we’re taking your Android and iPhone!
I think it is a great idea.
As a retired educator, I understand the frustration but ultimately I think it is a horrible idea. Yes, we did survive without cell phones, pagers, etc., as one poster stated. We also survived without electricity, indoor plumbing, computers, and a host of other modern-day conveniences and necessities. Forget earthquakes or school shootings. The simple fact is that in today’s world, “back to the basics” includes the use of cell phones, and the parents and the schools that do not teach their kids the proper use of cell phones are doing them a major disservice.
Finally, as a practical matter, most schools long ago abandoned any serious enforcement of cell phone restrictions. With the limited amount of instructional time in any given day, and with all of the other aspects of a busy school environment, it has generally been found to be more trouble than it was worth.
It’s a great idea, but we all know the parents will back the studends on this matter–and the kids will keep their phones.
I see student’s every day on their cell phones in class. They text their friends and play video games instead of listening to the teacher. Student’s get on social media and say negative things about other students which starts fights at school. There is no reason at all to have cell phones in class.
In MDUSD student’s don’t get suspended for vaping so what are they going to do if a student is using their cell phone in class?
Well… Given that as a society we don’t care about kids being slaughtered in school – except to offer “Thoughts and Prayers” – sorry but kids should have a line to their parents – and the school should find a way to deal with the phones in school, I know other schools where it is not a problem.
The hyperbole is strong with this one…
“Well… Given that as a society we don’t care about kids being slaughtered” Dude your tactics are played out. You sound like a teenage valley girl. Who are you even talking to? Have a little respect for the people on this board and act like an adult. Thanks
I suspect this will be litigated and ultimately the school will lose.
So, are the schools saying Students dose not have to right to use their cell phone to make emergency calls just because the school said they will take care of it. Okay let face it. There a shooter on campus students witness the shooting on campus. Great if there a shooting happening on campus you witness the action you wanna make an emergency call but the school will not allow you to do so, what you suppose to get? get your phone taken away just because you made an emergency calls or will you get after school detention?
Students witness a shooting on campus but they cannot make emergency calls because school will not allow them to do
What you gonna do if there no staff member around to witness and just students there to witness the emergency. Is the school saying keep your phone in your pouch and let him/her suffer until teacher/staff members/principle shows up?????? How far are you going to run to the office to tell the staff to make an emergency call? Do schools still have pay phones? might be the answer if there pay phone near by.
Parents find out there lock down, emergency and/or shooting on campus and want to check up on their children but, school still not allowing to take out their phone out of the pouch during school hours if there emergency occurs??
There’s always homeschooling.
No! Let them keep their phones. Teach them there is a time and place to use their phones. No No No stupid ideal.
I can’t believe some of these comments. I would want my kids to have uninterrupted time with teachers in class. They are going to enter a world where they need all the education they can handle. This is a very good idea. Lets get on with it in other schools….
I have heard of the pouch thing. From what I’ve read, the students love it. While they may protest at times, kids want the adults in their lives to set boundaries. The downside is that the pouches are quite expensive and only available from a single vendor or very few vendors. They have some sort of signal blocking liner.
Emergencies on campus are extremely rare. Every classroom has a land line phone that’s likely better for 911 as the dispatcher will instantly know the location of the caller.
I LOVE knowing I can reach my almost adult children during the day if I need to.
But how will they order from Door Dash?
Surely there’s nothing wrong with a little fiesta on our time?
Where is Mr. Hand when we need him?
How are they going to order door dash ?
Bad idea, for obvious reasons. Personal electronic devices are a part of our daily lives. How about these, so called?) Adult-Administrators learn to manage the Student’s use of cell phones, while on campus, without a total ban? What happens in the event of: an active-shooter, acts of violence, someone has seizure, or staff member has a heart-attack? If a student, who happens to be close to an emergency, can make a call for help; I think, easy-access to a cell phone could possibly save a life.
Cell phones in class take too much time away from study time for students and when you have some teachers that support that kind of nonsense by charging or allowing students to charge their phone, there is more time lost.
When these ‘kids’ graduate and get lucky enough to land a job, they think that talking all day/night on their smart phone is part of their jobs. It is not unless they are a telemarketer.
Kids are given a electronic notebooks/chrome book when they start school and that should be enough until they are out of class. Checking your social media status is not part of class time.
I am for the electronic pouches.
A lot of people here seem to be confusing talking on the phone during class with merely having a phone in one’s possession during the school day.
It was be great for kids to learn face to face communication and how to experience the world directly and not through a screen. But, sadly, they’ll find a way around it, either through special exemptions or second phones. Not enough staffing to monitor them all for covert cell phone use.
I’ve read most of the fine for and against comments everyone’s made and all I keep thinking is: Yeah, good luck with that! Kids will do what they want to do despite the rules. And I think their focus will not switch to learning but to: how can they sneak their phones in and use them during school hours without getting caught. Maybe not all of them but I’ll bet plenty will.
First I think in general the country has gone soft in the cabassa. Since you can no longer live without your phone why don’t the kids stay home and listen and watch the teacher on their phones. Then we can get rid of schools and turn them into homeless shelters. See how easy it is to solve problems when you think clearly.
I’ve been wondering why schools didn’t do this sooner. I think the only parents that would be against it are also addicted to their phones. I don’t want my kid to have a phone at school. He can memorize my number–like we did “back in the olden days”. Its really pathetic, the majority of humans are so addicted to those damn things they don’t even see it. I enjoy leaving it home, I honestly do. Try it sometime.
Half these comments in support of this are from people who are on their phones at work instead of working.
the boomers want their guns but want phones banned, the millennials want their phones but want guns banned. does no one see the hypocrisy. banning doesnt work, people always find workarounds.
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