Can they have their cell phones on during lunch?

What kind of emergency is going to happen that the kid needs access to their cell phone in the middle of a school day? I don't think a child needs a cell phone for personal use, and there is no need to have one at school. After school I will concede to if they have variables that affect how they are going to get home, but that's it. Lunch is often the only time kids have to socialize, and they aren't even doing that if their all playing around with their own thing.

I think that is fine. Cellphones are much more apart of our society and how our society interacts. I'd love to send my child a text message that she could read at lunch - anything from "I love you" to "Did you want me to bring your PE shoes that you forgot?"

Right now DD can't bring her cellphone to school unless she turns it over to the teacher during the day. Well, DD isn't going to play with her cellphone. It'll be in her backpack - off - unless she needs it. She has a 2.5 hour bus ride daily and I'd like her to have her cellphone available for safety reasons. You just never know. The route is pretty rural and if the driver had a heart attack or something ... well, I doubt they'd even be able to find a house to get emergency help. I'm discussing the situation with the principal soon.

The cellphone controversy brings to mind the Girl Scout camp a couple of years ago. They had a silly rule that the girls couldn't bring anything electronic to camp - not even a digital camera. Their argument against digital cameras is that they didn't want anyone stealing them or see an expensive item ruined should it get dropped in the lake or something. Really? When I can buy my daughter a $20 digital camera, I'm not that worried about it. That cheap digital camera is a whole lot cheaper than buying 27-print disposable camera then paying to have the film developed. They finally changed their policy last year when so many people complained. Actually, this year DD was even able to bring her cellphone and itouch.

The older kids can bring them into the classroom then they get turned off right before Bible and morning prayer and go into a box until school is over.

They girls have their cell phones at school but they are to be off during class, including lunch. We use them to communicate after school as they are both in sports and stay after school to practice, along with going to games and such. Oldest dd's Volleyball coach even takes them on the us ride to a game so that the girls focus and prepare for the game ahead of them.

No. They can bring them but they have to be in their backpacks and turned off. My oldest will have one so he can call me when his after school activities are over. That is absolutely fine with me. It's not going to kill them to go 6 hours without sending or receiving a text or phone call.

Dd can't have a cell phone in the school building at all and it really ticks me off because...

When a tornado hit right next to dd's school on April 27, 2011, the word immediately went out that the school was damaged and triage was being set up for the kids at the volunteer fire department next door.  Parents everywhere went into panic mode because they couldn't get hold of their kids to find out if they were OK.  When I finally got up to the school (after trying three different roads and practically driving into ditches to get around fallen trees) it was a complete madhouse with parents in hysterics.  We thought this was a once-in-a-40-year-thing until a tornado touched down near the school again on March 2 of this year.  So yes, being that my dd's school is in a historical established tornado path, plus the fact that crazy kids like to periodically shoot up schools, I really want my dd to be able to have her cell phone so she can call me, the police, or anyone she needs to in an emergency.

DD can take hers to school but it is strongly discouraged. Any electronic devices have to be turned off and left in the locker for the duration of the day. There are going to be days I let DD take hers. 2 days a week she will walk down a busy street about 4 blocks to get to the boys adn girls club. I am a bit overprotective and am not completely comfortable with this even though she will be with other kids. I will want to know when she gets to the club and when to pick her up. As far as emergencies at school our school system has an amazing computer program that sends out texts, emails and phone calls to all parents in a given group (be it the whole district from say the superintendent or about school closing or from a specific school or program like choir/band) We get each message a total of 5 times. Text and call to both dhs and my cell phones and to my email. Most of last year DD (in 5th) was allowed to take any and all electronic devices to school on reward day in her classroom. Until the super found out. Put an end to that!

DS high school they can use them INSIDE at lunch time( cafeteria only).

DD high school...NO cellphones allowed inside the building( unless turned off and IN the lockers only)...IF they want to use at lunch time they HAVE to go outside to the parking lot to use them....IF used inside it is confiscated and a parent has to come and sign for it. three signings and its held for the rest of the school year in the office.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starlite 

Dd can't have a cell phone in the school building at all and it really ticks me off because...

 

When a tornado hit right next to dd's school on April 27, 2011, the word immediately went out that the school was damaged and triage was being set up for the kids at the volunteer fire department next door.  Parents everywhere went into panic mode because they couldn't get hold of their kids to find out if they were OK.  When I finally got up to the school (after trying three different roads and practically driving into ditches to get around fallen trees) it was a complete madhouse with parents in hysterics.  We thought this was a once-in-a-40-year-thing until a tornado touched down near the school again on March 2 of this year.  So yes, being that my dd's school is in a historical established tornado path, plus the fact that crazy kids like to periodically shoot up schools, I really want my dd to be able to have her cell phone so she can call me, the police, or anyone she needs to in an emergency.

This.

Even when we were in Idaho, the school would experience power outages and the only way the staff could get a hold of parents was to use their personal cellphones. If the kids have their personal cellphones with them, it is so much easier to have updated contact information - information that doesn't have to be memorized by the child. It is also easier and quicker for the child to send me a text than for a teacher to make individual phone calls.

More likely than even a shooting is a bus driver showing up drunk for work. More than one kid has busted a drunk or drugged bust driver or called the police when the bus driver was going the wrong way, abusing kids or about to get into an accident.