school confiscates cell phone, lawyer dad is mad?

[mmcd]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I have no troubles reading. I will admit the car was a strech, but now that you can realize there are other methods than taking property. I just don't see how you can possibly think that keeping a phone for 30 days is acceptable. Take it for the day and if it keeps up contact the parents, detention, suspension. It's all been said before and I don't understand why it's not that simple.

[/ QUOTE ]

You guy's don't get it. I have never argued that keeping the phone for 30 days is the best policy or even a smart policy.

What I have argued that it is acceptable in this case because the violating parties agreed to the rule and were aware of the punishment. (OP mentioned that the Dad wanted to lie to the school about ownership of the phone in order to get it back. He knew the ramifications and was looking for a loophole of some sort.)

I believe most schools would never hold it for 30 days if the parent came in for it. However, I bet that not insignificant percent of the time, the parent will not come in at all, which is why the 30 day policy was put in place.

[/ QUOTE ]


I guess we don't really disagree. I don't have a problem with the rule, or with the school taking the phone. I have a problem with the school refusing to return the phone to the parent.

One small thing I do take issue with is your repeated assertion that parents agreed to all the rules by choosing to send their kid to that particular school. I don't know if things are different now, or maybe it depends on the part of the country, but I was always under the impression that what school your kids went to was determined by where you live. North of Main St. goes to Washington, south of Main St. goes to Jefferson, etc.

Also, it's not like parents have some huge range choices, and when their kids reach school age, the state sends them a catalouge of schools with rulebooks ranging from Orwell to Deadwood, and parents get to choose. Aside from a few minor differences, the rules are going to be substantially the same at almost all public schools.

[mflip]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Before cellphones, kids had other distractions, like pot, drawing pictures of the gym teacher with a [censored] in his ear, and even good old fashioned daydreaming.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a pretty good point. The only difference being that phones ringing / incoming text messages buzzing / people answering their phones is a lot more distracting to the REST of the classroom than idle daydreaming and picture drawing. Personally I could care less what the cell phone owner him/herself does, because they'll find other ways to mess around in class and generally be a nuisance. It is the other kids in the class actually trying to learn that I'd be concerned for.

[/ QUOTE ]

See kids who consistently get text messages or even phone calls in class leave their phones on silent or vibrate. If you aren't sitting directly beside the person YOU'D NEVER KNOW THEIR PHONE RANG! It's really that simple. I know people who never have to look at their phones to type out a text message. They can sit and look at the teacher the entire time and a good percentage of the time the teacher cannot tell they have their phone out. Cells phones do not distract others in the class unless you are sitting directly beside them, and in all of my classes we can choose where we sit. If someone distracts you by texting in class then you just don't sit beside them.

[DrewDevil]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Before cellphones, kids had other distractions, like pot, drawing pictures of the gym teacher with a [censored] in his ear, and even good old fashioned daydreaming.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a pretty good point. The only difference being that phones ringing / incoming text messages buzzing / people answering their phones is a lot more distracting to the REST of the classroom than idle daydreaming and picture drawing. Personally I could care less what the cell phone owner him/herself does, because they'll find other ways to mess around in class and generally be a nuisance. It is the other kids in the class actually trying to learn that I'd be concerned for.

[/ QUOTE ]

See kids who consistently get text messages or even phone calls in class leave their phones on silent or vibrate. If you aren't sitting directly beside the person YOU'D NEVER KNOW THEIR PHONE RANG! It's really that simple. I know people who never have to look at their phones to type out a text message. They can sit and look at the teacher the entire time and a good percentage of the time the teacher cannot tell they have their phone out. Cells phones do not distract others in the class unless you are sitting directly beside them, and in all of my classes we can choose where we sit. If someone distracts you by texting in class then you just don't sit beside them.

[/ QUOTE ]

I hate this thread now.

[justscott]

Why didnt the dad just go to the school and get the phone? I mean i graduated way back in 88 but i would think schools aren't that crazy now.. If he showed up the prinicipal would give him his property and maybe they could talk about LITTLE JOHNY and his progress report. Or the dad could be a hardliner and demand the phone call the police and press charges on the individual who was holding his property....

[bowens]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Before cellphones, kids had other distractions, like pot, drawing pictures of the gym teacher with a [censored] in his ear, and even good old fashioned daydreaming.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a pretty good point. The only difference being that phones ringing / incoming text messages buzzing / people answering their phones is a lot more distracting to the REST of the classroom than idle daydreaming and picture drawing. Personally I could care less what the cell phone owner him/herself does, because they'll find other ways to mess around in class and generally be a nuisance. It is the other kids in the class actually trying to learn that I'd be concerned for.

[/ QUOTE ]

See kids who consistently get text messages or even phone calls in class leave their phones on silent or vibrate. If you aren't sitting directly beside the person YOU'D NEVER KNOW THEIR PHONE RANG! It's really that simple. I know people who never have to look at their phones to type out a text message. They can sit and look at the teacher the entire time and a good percentage of the time the teacher cannot tell they have their phone out. Cells phones do not distract others in the class unless you are sitting directly beside them, and in all of my classes we can choose where we sit. If someone distracts you by texting in class then you just don't sit beside them.

[/ QUOTE ]

I hate this thread now.

[/ QUOTE ]

[Sykes]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm sure the kid already is a douche. ALL schools should all get cell phone jammers.

[/ QUOTE ]

If I was a teacher/professor, everytime your cell phone goes off in class you would lose 5% of your grade or have to write a ten page report.

[/ QUOTE ]

You would be the worst teacher ever.


Seriously, I like how these schools/teachers can just "steal" items from students whenever they feel like it.

It's not their's so what makes it right that they should take it.

[Aloysius]

Why is this thread so long?

Don't use your cell phone in class - for very obvious reasons - and if you were to use it in class, then you get punished. How hard is it to turn it off for class, then use it in-between classes, at lunch, study whatever?

[ QUOTE ]
Third offense, they keep it for 30 days.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's not a very smart rule as personal property issues come to the fore - just disallow them to have a cell phone on school property for 30 days.

-Al