Comments on: New Cellphone Policy Begins Monday At Ransom Middle School

By: My2Cents

My2Cents — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 13:56:15 +0000

No child should have a cell phone turned on at school. If something urgent happens the parent should contact the school to talk to their child.

Kids have too much information at hand which leads to poor choices. Give them an old school flip phone.

By: Rasheed Jackson

Rasheed Jackson — Sat, 23 Mar 2019 15:47:10 +0000

I have read all the “what if’s” and none of them justify a student having a phone during an emergency situation. One mom says she experienced a situation when the school was on lock down. Well have you ever been responsible for a group of children in an emergency situation? I have, and I can assure you had I had to deal with children stopping to call their parents it would have worsened an already tense moment. Our teachers already live with the fear that on any given day their quiet school could become the target of a crazy and deranged individual. And when that time comes they will be responsible for the safety of the children in their class. Now just imagine a shooter situation and teacher in a classroom with 25 students and they all reach for their phones, call home and start getting directions from a person that is not even there. We all know from past experiences that seconds means lives, how much time will be lost waiting for kids to get off their phones. Now let’s say just one student decides to call home, the safety of every child in that room has been jeopardized because one person needs to talk to their mom. Your child having a cell phone may be a comfort to you be but in reality they can be a hindrance and a distraction during an evacuation situation. WHAT IF, your child is hiding from a shooter and you decide to call? You could be exposing them and others that may be with them. I am sorry but the bad far outweighs the good when it comes to a cell phone during an emergency situation. Unless of course it is for your own peace of mind and then that is just selfish and narcissistic on your part.
I say leave them in a locker or at home. But what do I know about the situations at schools today all I had to worry about when I was in school was the occasional Race Riots.

By: mat

mat — Sat, 23 Mar 2019 00:25:35 +0000

So what happens if the students are using their phones during this time?
Does the teacher take the phone away or what?
Who enforces this new rule?

By: CW

CW — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 20:37:31 +0000

@Yeah Sure

Let’s be honest here, most kids aren’t going to use their smartphones to help with learning, they are going to use them for crap like Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook.

And you are assuming all of these kids are going to end up working for a “smart” employer that allows them to play on their phones all day, when many will not.

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 19:34:24 +0000

Just what an active shooter needs. Parents checking in on their children, ringing their cell phones, and providing the shooter with their location.

By: New Policy?

New Policy? — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 19:14:11 +0000

If I recall, I thought this was a policy already stated in the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook, that students acknowledge each year? I could be wrong. https://ecsd-fl.schoolloop.com/file/1516954971059/1289140583901/945212636388090234.pdf?filename=FINAL%2BRandR%2B18-19.pdf

But the same needs to apply to teachers as it does for students, with regard to the usage. There are just as many teachers who are abusive with using their cell phones during the school day.

By: Transparency

Transparency — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 18:37:35 +0000

And now the teachers and do or say anything they wish without fear of being recorded. The cell phones keep bad actors in check. If one or two kids misbehave then deal with them individually. Another thought, in a school emergency a child having the cell phone may well make the difference between living or not ………. Look deeper and think harder about this a bit more before rushing to applaud the genius of this policy……

By: Relax

Relax — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 18:07:47 +0000

Everyone getting bent out of shape should just relax. They said put away. That means in the pocket, and that just good common sense.

By: anne 1of2

anne 1of2 — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 17:22:48 +0000

Let’s just keep everyone safe and close the schools! If these kids want an education, they can use their cell phones at home. The teachers will be safe in their own homes using face time. The parents will just have to pay for a sitter instead of blaming the teachers and school.

By: Yeah sure

Yeah sure — Fri, 22 Mar 2019 16:36:53 +0000

The policy is not bad if it is such that the phones should be just put away in a pocket or book bag. They should be silenced but not off. Regarding employers doing this, cell phones and technology are now being leveraged in office environments. Smart employers no longer sneer at their usage, but encourage their smart usage. The efficient application of smart phones at work can increase worker productivity exponentially in some environments. Obviously, this doesn’t apply to every situation. Dear fellow north Escambia readers, I implore you to leave the industrial revolution in the gilded age. Kids need and should embrace the wise application of this technology.