Tommy Collison

A friend of mine in Dublin got his phone confiscated in school today, and this got me thinking about the whole should-phones-be-confiscated-in-school argument.

I think it all depends on the circumstance. Obviously, if someone is texting during lunch, it should be taken off them. But, what if someone rings them? Again, depends.

Students should obviously not be allowed have their phones in their pocket as this encourages people to sneak it out during class and text someone.

I think that phones should be allowed in school, but not on the student’s person. I bring my phone with me to school, and keep it switched off in my bag. I don’t turn it on again until the end of school. I don’t feel there is any problem with this. I need it to contact Mom or Dad for a lift home.

I think there’s no problem in having your phone with you in school so long as it doesn’t cause a disturbance. I mean, if it isn’t disrupting class by ringing, or distracting students, why is it wrong?

On that subject, I know I’m a kid and all that, but I am firmly against schools being allowed to confiscate mobile phones. Schools shouldn’t be allowed take student’s private property. As in, I paid a fair bit for my phone, and I’m not comfortable with the school taking it. Nothing against the school, of course, but phones have been stolen before. John’s was taken in 4th or 5th year. A shiny Nokia E71 too.

If I ran a school (which I don’t, which is probably why this is only ramblings), if a student was caught with a mobile, I’d d turn off their phone and put it back in their bag. If caught again, call parents and a detention, 3rd time suspension, and so on.

This mightn’t be the best way of combatting phones ins schools, but it’s the fairest for the students. If a student forgets to turn off their phone before putting it in their schoolbag, and then some randomer calls them, I don’t believe the student should get punished badly. If we break glass in the science room, we don’t get punished because it was an accident, so if a phone goes off accidently, why should students be punished then? Both incidents cause about the same amount of disruption.

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Now, don’t get me wrong. I like my school, I think it’s an excellent school. While their policy might not be what I’d do, I will respect that it is school rule and if I ever forget to turn of my phone and some nutjob rings me, I’ll happily hand over my phone per the rules, despite my reservations.

The moral of the story is that whether or not you agree with the rule, or it’d be your rule were you in charge, while you’re in that school, you have a responsibility to follow their rules, even if you disagree with them. It’s the responsibility-duty thing we learned in CSPE. Park ranger has a responsibility to keep the grass cut, picnickers have the duty to not litter.