Cougar... you are 20something so I really do understand your point of view. In my 20s we had many tools/toys that the "older" generation didn't "get" nor realize the necessity of it, at least to us.

Here is the issue... Kids with cell phones in school, when they SHOULD be focusing on an education, CAN be disruptive to the "structure".

This carries over to the work world when these kids feel that their social life is more important than what they are being PAID to do. THIS is the point many of us are making. Kids with or without a college education are hired to do a job. Its what we PAY THEM to do. When I get put on "hold" because an employee hasn't finished their "NON WORK RELATED CONVERSATION" on their cell phone, we have a problem!
The lack of respect in a work environment is directly related to what is "allowed" when you are young and in school. This is becoming the "norm" and it is NOT ACCEPTABLE behavior in the REAL WORLD.

Haeight, thank you for the information. You have to be one smart cookie to know what you do. Creatureinthefreezer, love the name by the way, you really explained it well in your last comment. Thank you both.

Yes, I said brick. Because the 1st mobile phones were as large and weighed almost as much as one. it wasn't until the mid 90's they started to shrink and become somewhat useful for a select few professionals. Like a real estate agent who can contact other real estate agents to gain access to homes to show clients that just notices a new home on the market while looking at other homes.

As far as extra curricular activities, last time I checked those are scheduled well in advance and you have plenty of time to prepare. If you don't have enough time for homework and have to do it on the bus while your carted around then your have too much on your plate. Since you should be preparing for your debate or your game.

About the only real use I see cell phones put to use for is entertainment. Not streaming music and movies. I am talking self indulgence with a lack of self control. They sit there texting or talking on them to entertain themselves until they fall asleep or have to move to the next chair. This is not just kids, this is every single person with a cell phone.

I'm not saying respect isn't earned, I'm saying duly earned respect is being lost by not looking at it from the other point of view. I'm not saying that cell phone use in class is a good thing, I'm saying that the demonizing of all cell phone use by high schoolers that I read over and over in these comments is unneccessary and innaccurate for the most part.

Cougarballer - From my perspective you've got is backwards. The younger kids in high school or college need to earn adults respect not the other way around. Wisdom comes from years of experience that kids and young adults lack. This is the problem with the (Me First Generation) that expect everything handed to them on a golden platter. Every year that goes by the world becomes more competitive and jobs are fewer even with University degrees. The USA is full of unemployed or under-employed college graduates that were told get a degree and you'll get a great job without much effort. Not that easy anymore and you're asking what does cell phone use have to do with jobs. More than you think because it's about following rules, doing what is expected without being told and proving you're better than the other guy. Believe it or not the adults of the world could care less about what some young adults think and the adults are the ones who hire, fire and promote so kids should learn that lesson sooner rather than later because opportunities will be lost and you won't even know it. Over the years I personally seen immature young adults lose their jobs because they didn't get it. Getting it means doing everything right including the little things.

I question how many of you actually have considered how much more efficient a cell phone makes a high schooler's life. I'm a college student right now, had a phone with mobile web and texting the entire time I was in high school. Guess what? I'm not a felon?! I've been on dean's list all 4 (about to be 5) semesters I've been at UW- Madison. I never had any serious problems with my phone at school (had it taken 3 times in 4 years I think, wasn't perfect). It's not the cell phone, its the student. I played 3 sports, was in practically every other club, and student council at Craig. And no, I couldn't have functioned without my phone. I remember times I would have a debate competition and a basketball game the same day, I had to be able to communicate regardless of where I was in the state. It's all about the student, not the phone, don't play generation favorites because its easy, it just causes the younger generation's upstanding citizens to lose respect for your judgement by showing your technological ignorance.

Mobile bricks?!? Pls explain.

Mobile bricks are 20th century technology. I have programmed and fixed computers for 27 years.

As far as people dying, people know where I work. They can always get a hold of me. I am confident all the people I care about understand if I am not doing mach 5 to arrive at their death bed. After all we did have quite a few years together to enjoy each others presence.

If you had no cell phone you would have a house phone and one of them answering machine doohickeys...

You only have to worry about pedophiles? and you actually have access to a database of where they live now? Wish that was available 30 years ago. Rampage anyone? I only had to deal with drug dealers, gangs, and people trying to run you over when you were trying to cross the street.

Onstar is a joke. Then again I can't say there is a single place in rock county that isn't 3 miles from somewhere. That is provided your in the country on a back road directly between 2 large farms.

If you do manage to find the middle of nowhere, elsewhere in the state ,where you haven't seen a house in 10 miles. Its a safe bet there is no cell service either. If someone is willing to commit a crime against your person they aren't going to let you use your phone.

Which makes me wonder what the use of having a cell phone is if its not to be in touch with the people your working for or with because your doing a pivotal job requiring your presence in multiple places at random times.

I find that explanation of the school "jammers" a bit odd in that some girl is going to get raped in the stair way can get on a phone and call for help,but could not YELL for help.Not that I see a need for phone "jammers"but If there is any relationship to parenting and curriculum,I would have to say that it is the curriculum that is out of order,not the parents.Sad story of someone getting raped in a school stairway,but if that is a debate of phones in school,then It would probably be better to just close the schools down and save your "tax dollars",because this little "skit" of the bad parenting is about as broke as the janesville little theaters rendition of the west side story gets.

Going a step further, I wonder how many posters on this blog are at work using their work computer to post on the gazette? Guilty at any age....just saying. And we wonder where our kids get their lack of respect from.

billnewbie
Your answer to the problem about allowing schools to use "jammers" to render cell phone useless in school....well what "if" the girl who was raped in the stairwell at a Madison school tried to use her cell phone to call for help and the signal was jammed? Big lawsuit buddy!

Or maybe nemisis as the article says..."Stried suggested to the administration that a cell phone-jamming system could render cell phones useless, but it turns out the Federal Communications Commission bans such technology," So, they did look into and probably decided not to break federal law. How dare they?

Apparently the schools are unfamiliar with an electronic device known as a "cellphone jammer".

As a Craig teacher, I do not see it as a huge issue. If you are an active teacher and have control of your room. My kids take their phone out, turn it off and put it on their desk at the start of the hour.
*****
In high school, I passed notes. The day I got a note from Kristi Bare I was happy for a week. Now, kids don't pass notes. Kids also cheated by copying answers on paper and taking them from the room. Should we ban paper?
Every day as I travel from class to class I ask 3 to 4 kids a day to turn off there phone and put it away. That is roughly 200 times a year, and I have had ONE kid give me a hard time. I called him on it, followed him 10 feet to his class, got his name from his teacher, and wrote a referral. I'm sure his 5 days in restricted lunch was a just punishment.
It takes no time out of my day, to kids it is just like us passing notes. If you never passed a note between classes or wrote a note during class, then you have a right to complain. If you did, then you can't cast the first stone.
****
The only sad thing is it is only the last line that talks about the positive uses of cell phones in class. I have used them twice, while we did actual engineering trig problems outside, while one student was inside on the computer doing internet research and typing the paper. Many kids told me it was the best lesson of the year, and I'm sure engineers use their phone in day to day work.

Well our kids are 21, 23, 27 and 29. What many of you parents are doing is setting a precedent with your children. At middle school age, allowing this much exposure to unsupervised access to the net and texting is setting your child up for emotional stress that they just are NOT capable of handling. I've lived it, I've dealt with it with our kids, and I'm here to tell ya, you have NO idea what you are exposing your "perfect children" to.

Peer pressure alone is a nightmare for most ALL kids, but give them tools to be that accessible, and you are simply setting them up for temptation and MORE peer pressure.

Ladulce, I've been there done that. You should consider some of our posts as a warning. Fortunately, my husband and I had good kids... but it is the responsibility of the parent to anticipate the unexpected. YOU are the adult... do NOT trust that your child will NOT cave to peer pressure.

Seriously, take the road less traveled with your kids. Protect them from the unknown.

there is always tracphone with inexpensive phones and service -- and... virgin mobile (sprint platform) has UNLIMITED everything (data, calls, texts, smart, whatever you wanna call it all) for 60.00 a month. No contract. Only bad thing is that you have to pay for the phone. too much to pay for my kid, though. unless they are working to pay their own bill.

FYI, to be clear...my statements are based on my own personal experiences with young people that do not understand the necessary boundaries for things like cell phones in the professional environment. That is by no means a generalization about all young adults, or all parents that allow their children to have cell phones. The bottom line is that all young adults need to be taught these kinds of boundaries from the beginning so they do not learn it the hard way once they get into the real world. To all those parents that are doing/have done this, thanks.

haight"I can see in case of emergency, but doesn't every car have onstar now or something close?"

Sorry for the price of onstar vs cell monthly I will take the cell and no land line. You cannot make CALLS to people from onstar.I keep it under 300 minutes so it is a good deal to me.


Scooter", let the computer teach our kids and hey"
they already are!

Sandman: That was not only spot on, but completely hilarious. I wish the gazette site had a like button. These kids think they "need" cell phone and parents encourage them to believe it. Wait until they get into the real world and discover that most employers do not permit personal cell phones to be used on company time. These parents that believe that kids simply must have access to a cell phone are the reason I'm now a babysitter nearly all my young adult employees because they are constantly on their phones at work, which is not allowed. They look at me like I'm crazy when I remind them (verbal warning, written warning, etc.) that cell phones are not permitted at work. I'm paying them to work, not text/twitter/facebook/play games. Not to mention the companies that don't allow them for confidentiality reasons. THAT is the real world.

It seems to me that many generations got by just fine without being allowed to have cell phones in school. There are regular phones in every classroom now, in case of an emergency, and I'm sure almost all teacher have cell phones as well. My generation was the first where most teenagers had cell phones, and I was in high school when Columbine happened. We managed just fine. There are also other dangers in allowing teenagers access to cell phones during a lock down emergency. Not to mention with the texting, web access, cameras (photo and video), social networking, and games available on most cell phones now, they are simply a distraction that have no place in schools, in addition to providing the opportunity to cheat. They should be required to be kept off and in a locker during teaching hours. Students should not be allowed to carry a cell phone with them to class. It is totally unnecessary.

So, the schools have discovered that some students are using their cell phones to cheat in class! But the school officials don't think it's really a big problem yet???? If they've heard of it, it's probably much more widespread than they think it is.

I wonder if this is one of the reasons for the much ballyhooed increase in graduation rates that was announced lately.

There is a solution to this problem but it would take an act of Congress, literally, to implement. Allow schools to use low powered jammers to jam cell phone frequencies. The jammers could be tied into school computers which would block cell phone frequencies only during class times and would be disabled whenever the fire alarm or other emergency occurs. Then no one has to police cell phone rules, the things just wouldn't function during class time.

avid: LOL! :)
mickie: Kids do not currently respect the rules, so they don't keep them in the lockers (not "ALL" kids, just enough to make it an ongoing problem).
The solution, as to so many problems with kids, lies in the parents. Keep the phones and other elctronic toys at home during school hours. It's really that simple.

Keep the cell phones out of the school classroom. Its that simple. They should go into a locker at the beginning of the day, and out at the end period. If I have an emergency to reach my child I am sure that the office will pass on my message. I do not really get was is so damn tuff about doing this? This is not Rocket Science here. Ban them in all classrooms.

Haeight, let me think back, oh yeah, when it was determined that pedophiles had the right to live somewhere after release was when I quit letting my child walk the mile and a half home from school. To all the tecnology haters, just the fact that you are posting here makes you a hypocrite doesn't it? You had to power up your computer, log onto the internet, and go to this website to complain about the advances in technology? Why didn't you write out your complaint on an old fashioned piece of paper, lick your stamp and walk the envelope to your nearest mailbox to send your complaint? If it's too cold outside for you, ask to borrow your neighbors horse and buggy for the trip to the post office.

This is a laughable topic. When I was in school (I am 27), my mom gave me a pager, which I realize is out of date now, but I would compare that to a trac-phone today. I had 10 minutes to call her back or I was grounded. She said that no matter where I was, there was a phone within ten minutes of me, otherwise I was somewhere I shouldn’t be. I always called when I was paged. I finally got a cell phone when I was 17 and had so many minutes a month to use. My mom paid for it yes, but it didn’t included texting. There was a radio conversation a few weeks ago about kids that text over 50,000 in a month… that’s well over 1,500 texts a day!! How are they even learning anything when they are so busy texting each other all day long??
Really, everyone needs to realize that we are approaching 2011 and cell phones are here, not going anywhere, and could eventually be part of our bodies someday…. You never really know.

I have an idea; since technology is so hip, why don't we close all the schools, let the computer teach our kids and hey, just let them do what they want. This would save the taxpayer money and make the cell phone companies rich and maybe they would hire more peope. There, I covered the cost of teachers, upgrades to schools, taxes, more jobs and making our kids more ANTI SOCIAL then they already are!!!

I understand that two different Districts do to different things, but Milton students are allowed to use their phone during passing time, and at lunch, 1st Offense=office. you pick it up at the end of the day. 2nd offense=office, you parent has to pick it up at the end of the day, or the next time they get to the school. 3rd offense, Your phone is gone for 5 days, you do not get it, even after school or over a weekend, its gone. and 4th offense is taken by the office. every student and their behavior at school depends on their punishment.

haeight you need to get into the 21st century.

sorry haeight my car doesn't have onstar so if I get stuck in the middle of nowhere my cell phone will come in real handy, let me see my mother had to get a hold of me one time for an emergency and she called my cell phone to get ahold of me because it was the only way to get a hold of me. (and yes it was an emergency my grandmother was dying.)Thats only a few reasons I carry a cell phone. So yes cell phones can be a necessity. I also know alot of people that only have cell phones and no home phones.

Where to begin. If you have a cell phone and your not at work holding a job that requires you to wander around your plant, then your a failure. There is no reason for phones anywhere other than attached to a cord plugged into a wall.

I can see in case of emergency, but doesn't every car have onstar now or something close?

Cold weather? I had a paper route, I learned young to bundle up and stay warm for hours of snowball fights. To contact you or for you to contact them at school? There is an office leave a message.

The whole year I would walk or ride my bike 10 miles or more to go to school and practice for sports or anything else. That doesn't include gym or actual practice where you run for 2-5 hours doing drills. You always found someone with a car to give you a ride and made friends with others who had vehicles.

There is no reason for cellular phones.

If you know they all have them make them put them in a basket during test time and you will get it back after test time. Maybe

Well I see two answers are THE SAME. The two other answers are VERY close. I don't see my answer.
Keep it in your locker. Can use before and after school and at lunch. NOT in the class room at all! If there is an ER in the classroom tell the teacher.

1st offense is verbal warning and the teacher should be able to view all the messages and pictures on the phone to make sure no cheating has been done with that phone.
2nd offense is a trip to the principal office and phone is confiscated until the end of the day and messages and pictures will be reviewed.
3rd offense the phone is confiscated until the end of the semester and same inspection is done with the phone.
4th offense the student is banned from having any cell phone on school property for the remaining part of the school year.
5th offense the student is expelled. Obviously they didn't get the point and maybe sitting at home will help them learn cause and effect.
I'm sure most kids will not want their messages reviewed because other inappropriate things will be found out so most will think twice about taking that chance.

Swiss: So true! Parents coddle, teachers look the other way. Not ALL parents and teachers nsc LOL, don't get excited!

I have to laugh at the parents defending their children's "right" to have phones. Classic.
.
Another point on the parents who can't control what their kids do (or have the ability to say no) and the school's lacksidaisical (sp?) attitude on failure to keep kids off their phones (what can you do, they just roll their eyes at you?)- WHO THE HECK IS IN CHARGE? Classic, once again.

My last comment was to nsc.
herenotthere: Sounds like a good policy. Of course, even if the parent initiates contact, if the student has the phone off, then no problem.
An even better policy: leave the toys at home.

Stop generalizing! No one said "ALL". The article DID say:
"many students use their phones during the school day. Cell phone use continues to grow. Texting is more common, and many students are adept at sending silent text messages from their pockets. They don’t even look at the keypad. Which means students who want to send a message to a friend or a parent, or even cheat on a test, have a way to do it and a good chance of getting away with it".

I teach in a high school in a different state. The rule at my school is that students may have their cell phones with them, but they must be turned off. Is this going to happen? In a fantasy land, yes. If the teachers see a student using a phone, they are to take it and turn it into the office. The secretary keeps a log of the students' names and dates phones have been turned in. At the third time the phone has been taken, parents must come in to the school to pick up the phone (and every time after that). BUT...some of the worst texters, are the parents texting their child. I took a phone one day and the student told me that his mom had texted him to tell him to take the bus home that day. Well...ufortunately for mom, it was kid's third time getting his phone turned in to the office. She had to come up to school to get it.

SuperDave if you would have read my first post you would see that I keep a firm grip on the usage of my kids cell phones. I am not that naive to believe that my kids don't try to be sneaky, but I believe that my kids are respectful, because I see it. You must be one of those individuals who believe that it is your way or the highway. I just do not want ALL kids to have the label that you and others appear to be putting on them. I have no problem if kids take their "toys" to school as long as the rules are followed. I do believe if they are not following the rules, concequences MUST be given whether the kids like it or not. For as many students that are in these high schools to only have that few being disiplined shows me that a majority are in fact following the policy. If it is a bigger problem than what they are disiplining for then the school is at fault. If they don't discipline or contact the parents how are the parents suppose to deal with the situation.

nscr17 I couldn't agree more with your statement.

Cellphones should be used for emergencies only and at home if you do not have a landline. Not to gab while in school, while driving or while you're supposed to be working.

nscr17: I found your post offensive. Not all posters on this forum have negative feelings towards teens, or kids in general.
That being said, use a little common sense. Children will often use their electronic toys in inappropriate ways, such as posting on FaceBook during school, texting each other during class, etc. And - believe it or not - some will even lie about it to adults!!
If your kids are "good" respectful kids, more power to you. The problem is that most parents think their own kids are exceptional, while it's the other kids that cause all the problems. That math doesn't work.
Keep the toys at home.

In my day we passed notes under the desk. Now the kids text under the desk. Only technology has changed.

People need to learn to talk to others, not text them. And also get off your fat butt and walk to a friends house to have a conversation. The problems in society are in a circle... this helps feed the obesity epidemic. Also why are so many parents giving kids rides to school now?? Cant kids walk more than a block? Or are parents paranoid and scared? Maybe kids should be microchipped with tracking devices?

sandman...amen.

really, how much more can we bend to this new "me" generation.

Seems like the next step is to wrap them up in bubble wrap and hand them your credit card before you head them out the door, if they feel like heading out the door, that is.

I saw something interesting on the internet the other day. A list of eight things that are the worst gifts to buy your kids. Cell phones were at the top of the list! Basically, if a kid wants a cell phone....the best way to allow it is to have them work for it. They also say to not enter into a "contract" service, but to make it a pay as you go. Then make the kid work to pay the bill. If they don't have enough money to pay their bill, then they suffer the consequences of not paying a bill! That in itself could teach a very valuable lesson as long as the parents make them suffer the consequences.
My grandson doesn't have a phone. He wants one badly (his mother has purchased him phones on and off over the years...he's now thirteen). Anyway, no chance in hell that I would EVER put him on our contract. We'ld be thousands in debt or barely scraping by to pay for an unlimited call/text/internet plan to cover our butts! I'm wondering how much longer Janesville resident's can afford to allow their kids this luxury! When my grandson fires back "If I had a phone, I would have been able to call you...." I start to think...how can he phone home without having a cell phone? The school apparently doesn't allow kids to use the schools phones and I honestly can't think of where there are any public phones left (you know, the kind of phone you put money into to make a call). What is a kid to do? Unless they can borrow a friends phone...where else can they have access to a phone to call home when they need to check in or inform a parent of last minute schedule changes?

I am going to get a little off track here, but I am disgusted with all of the posts putting all kids in the same category. Not all teenagers are selfish and mouthy. My 2 children are teenagers and as we have had our spats, they for the most part are extremely well behaved and respectful of others. My 15 year old volunteers all the time for different organizations and loves doing it. I just hate that everyone here has the same impression about teenagers. Just remember that not all of them are as bad as you may think. There are a lot of good hearted kids out there that never seem to get the respect that I think they deserve. For the few that ruin it for all this aticle seems to apply. BUT PLEASE REMEMBER--NOT ALL TEENS FALL INTO YOUR CATEGORIES--DO NOT PUT THEM THERE!!!!!!!!!!!

The solution is for parents to take away the toys during school hours. Pretty simple concept, really. But most parents today fear upsetting their charges so they give in. Kids have to grow up some time, it's best if they start now.
And yes, the "in case of emergency" excuse is laughable. Most adults have cellphones. The schools have landlines. There are fire alarms in the halls, etc. School-age children do not *need* a cellphone, and it's certainly not appropriate to have it during school hours.
Seems to me that parents that will rush to come "rescue" their kids whenever they get the page simply encourage disrespect towards adults who should have the authority at school.

Sigma40 my point was that they are texting to each other as they walk with each other...that is stupid just talk instead. AND as I said my daughter only gets a cell on the days she has a after school activity which currently is 1 day a week. Plus it is not used except for emergencies or out of the ordinary changes to the schedule...NOT for texting.
*
There are 2 extremes going on with most posters here either no phone at all or give full access... I say there IS a middle ground. One can carry a cell without having to HAVE to use it for calling/texting friends, but instead keep it just for emergencies. That is what you have to TEACH your kids to do, and if they fail to follow the rules then taking the cell away altogether is warranted.

Sandman... THAT is dead on! What some parents do not seem to understand, their parental "job" is to prepare their children for the real world. The real world will not allow them to do as they please. The brats I've seen coming into the work place over the past 10 years feel entitled and act spoiled.

We have 2 kids in high school and both of course have cell phones. Our carrier, which I would assume most do, have itemized billing for each line. We regularly go through the bill seeing if/when the phone is being mishandled. My kids know that during the school day (with exception of lunch) the phone should have no outgoing texts or calls. If they do the phone is taken away (quite the punishment for them even if it is for 1 day). I suggest that more parents do this in order to curb this type of behavior.

"We want to do whatever we want whenever we want while wearing whatever we want and there's nothing you can do to stop us, so there...Now what are you getting me for Xmas and when are you going to pay my mobile bills and upgrade my internet and buy me an iPad and pay my tournament fees and drive me to my lessons? What do you mean, 'Not now?!' Did I mention I'm anorexic and bulimic and that I have attention deficient and anxiety disorder and anger management issues and that I'm depressed and feel like cutting myself right now? What do you mean, 'No?!' You don't love me!"

Welcome to adulthood, expectations and responsibility, kiddies. Do you think employers will be interested in your excuses? Now is as good a time as any to pay your way and realize that "no" is a pretty straightforward word that someone you might recall as "mom" or "dad" should have reinforced long ago. But then there's always SSI, EBT and Badgercare to fall back on, isn't there?

first of all to all those know-it-alls who say the school has phones for the students to use if needed, you are only half right. Yes the schools have phones, but NO the students are not always allowed to use them. I have gone to pick my child up several times from an after school activity to find that he was waiting for quite some time because they were dismissed early. A few times he found someone with a cell so he could call me, several times he just had to wait it out. Is waiting outside for 20 minutes going to ruin his life, No, it won't, but when it is freezing outside, and they are made to wait outside for a ride, and not allowed to use the schools phone then there is a problem. To those who use the excuse that when we were kids we got along just fine without cell phones, keep in mind we also got along just fine without the internet too so why should you be allowed to use your internet now to post your nonsense posts? The problem is NOT the parents, the problem is the students who are doing what this article talks about and contrary to belief, NOT All kids behave the same way. The gazette loves to publish these kinds of articles to get the masses arguing when the truth is, no side of the argument has all the answers. For every person who swears there is no reason for a child to have a cell phone, I bet there is a person who's life was saved because of a cell phone. Try to remember people, just because you don't agree with something, doesn't make it wrong.

And,she did have to use it once- when the school nurse wouldn't let her contact me and let me know that she couldn't hear- at all out of one ear and only a bit from the other. I am sure they thought she was faking or something, but, having had surgery on the ear less than a year ago, this was an "emergency" situation for my doctor, and, once she emailed me, I went in and got her and the doc wanted to see her immediately. So, yes, she needed it... AND, if she was USING it in class (to text or something ridiculous), I WOULD take it away. Pretty simple concept, really.

gmaof3- your assumption is asinine. I DO know where my daughter is (almost always here- with all of her friends), I also know her logins to any websites and monitor her texting, chaperone the school dances, and talk other parents when she is going somewhere. Luckily, we have the house that all of the kids hang out at, and, yes, I am aware of what is going on- always. What is more, I drop my daughter off and pick her up from school, am here when she has days off, take the entire summer off to spend with them and, am BEYOND involved in her life. I agree with hongkongexpat. Your ideas of "back in the day" just make you sound outdated. Every kid with a phone isn't a cyberbully or sexting, and, every parent hasn't "caved" by allowing them to have one. This was a rule that we put forth as parents. My daughter didn't even know the decision was being made to let her have one, but got to choose the type once she knew. You know what? My 5th grader has one, too. Because she walks home from school. VERY SIMPLE: IF YOU RAISE DECENT KIDS, THEY WILL MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION- with or without a cell phone. IF YOU have failed as a parent, then, your kids are going to suck with or without a cell phone. It isn't the phone, its the child.

'back in the day...', 'when I was in school...', '20 years ago...',

You bloggers are a sorry lot. Get a grip people. This is the new technology that kids use. Adapt and deal with it or get out of the way.

Back when the automobile first came out, people riding around on horseback all complained about these cars scaring their horses. Then they complained about radio. Then they complained about TV corrupting youths minds.. yet it is these elders that got the TV.

Twerp13 complains about kids texting on the way to school yet sends his/her kid off to school with a trac phone. You are either part of the problem, or the solution... not in between.

Correct me if I am wrong here, aren't SCHOOLS suppose to contact the parents if there is an emergency ? Have we taken that responsibility away from them, yet pay them more ? Oh wait, my bad, little Jimmy looked at Little Joey wrong so he needs to text his mommy to come get him is an emergency now. Time for parents to let kids be kids and not have the "Not my kid" mindset. If your kid needs a phone to call you to come get them, you're not communicating with your kid enough. How about, "Mom, we get done at 5pm", "Ok, I'll be outside to pick you up at 5 than".

Even in the worse case senerio, "Mom, Little Jimmy has started shooting at people !!". What you going to do ?? Run to the school so the police can tell you to stay back a safe distance and wait like every other rubber neck scanner listener ?? Oh thats right, you have to rush there to tell the police how to do their job too. Time to let the people you pay do their jobs and accept their actions as responsible.

of course parents are the problem!

There is no way for a student under the age of 18 to get a cell phone without the parent signing for it.

I agree the "emergency" excuse is laughable. If there is an emergency in today's culture the word can get out so fast because of twitter, gazettextra, news outlets will get the word out to parents and authorites as quick or almost as quick as anyone.

Again no one under the age of 18 NEEDS a cell phone. They just want one for the freedom and to have it as a status symbol.

I think a big reason why kids do not follow the rules is that they are not afraid of any consequences.

I agree with SuperDave. If you disagree, chances are you're part of the problem...

When I was in school, I would take a quarter to use the pay phone! I don't so much have a problem with kids having cell phones at school as long as they stay in their lockers. The cyberbullying, sexting, cheating, etc. is out of control. Al these kids' parents survived without cell phones while in school and so will their kids.

My daughter has a trac phone, and only takes it to school on days that she has to stay after for a activity. She has had to use it only twice, and both times it was because the club activity was cancelled. Lucky she had the phone to call me to pick her up (we live in the country so she can't walk home) as the school does not allow kids to use their phones.
*
once I saw 2 girls texting each other as they were walking home next to each other ....that is plain crazy. My daughter never texts ( I keep tabs on the minutes used) and only has access to the emergency phone for those school activities, or when she is someplace like fair, where I need to get a hold of her, if we are separated. Otherwise it is put up and she does not even miss it. Now when she starts to drive she will be given it every time she goes out, but still only for emergencies or my incoming calls...it is a prepaid after all

20 years ago if an emergency happened people would call the school if the needed to contact a student. Phones shouldnt be allowed in school period. Same with walkmans back in the day... not allowed. If we brought one it stayed in the locker.

mrsdamracefan.. I agree! I don't know when this started but lack of respect and plain rude behavior I chalk up to the Internet and cell phones. Kids do not have to communicate in person any more.

If parents really think their child needs a cell phone for emergencies, why not get one of the services that allow only 911, and 3 other numbers? They are liars if they try to say their child NEEDS full access. What a joke and I see through THAT "caving" excuse!

I also see no reason for a child to have a communication device in a school environment. Students are at school to learn. What could POSSIBLY be so important that they can't wait till they are out of school, to chat with their friends? Emergencies? Really? Hmmmm... seems to me that there are basically NO issues in a school that the faculty wouldn't be able to handle. Of course there is that .001 % chance of something "possibly" occurring that would be a threat to a child. But honestly, these cell phones are being used on school property for gossip, socialization and slamming other kids.

Don't believe me? Confiscate your child's phone and check past messages. You'll be floored by what you read, I guarantee it!

Sorry ladulce, I believe it is a mistake to give a child this much freedom at this age. You first say she "needs" it "just in case", but you have no problem taking it away if she was "irresponsible enough to be using it in school". So which is it... You caved to her whining and her "need" to fit in with her friends and the "only way" to be IN is to have a cell phone.

Good luck with that. Get back to me when she's 16. You have no idea where this is going to end up. She's just one of the lemmings going over the edge. Do you watch her on your home computers? Do you really KNOW what she is up to? I bet you don't.

For parents of middle school kids, don't cave to THEIR peer pressure. Be the adult, be the grown up! Technology is robbing our children of their youth and innocence. The middle school years are when our kids begin to choose what "group" they will be a part of, in High School. Hold on, you're going for quite the ride.

Actually the answer is respect kids today have none. They think they are above the law and rules even the little ones don't apply to them. They have no respect for authority figures, their parents, themselves and or anything else. This is our future America get used to it. As soon as the parents were told it was child abuse if they spanked their children. The problems began, and will continue to grow until, children learn to respect authority figures Good Luck.......

SuperDave, at the high school level, the idea that students are a) "kidlets" and b) have no ability to sneak "toys" past their parents is laughable. (A lot of people use this "blame the parents" argument, and it's really a big cop-out. Sure. If only the parents would swoop in and solve everything, we wouldn't have a problem! And angels and ponies, too!)

That idea of an emergency arising is so crazy in my own opinion. I'm pretty sure that they have phones in the school if an emergency arises.

As a parent of a middle school child (Marshall), I definitely want my child to have access to her phone. If an emergency should arise, I need her to be able to contact me, and, the police if necessary. Yes, I realize that Colombine probably won't be occurring here, but, if it should, her ability to relay information could save someone's life. On the flip side, IF she were irresponsible enough to be using it in school, I would be very upset and she would lose the privilege of having the phone. She keeps it away- in her boot- and, hasn't had the need to take it out yet, but, it is there, just in case.

As usual, the root problem is the parents. They allow their kidlets to take their toys to school, and the problems start from there.