Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Letter: Don’t let children take cellphones to school

I am outraged that Montgomery County Public Schools is even considering changing its cellphone policy to allow elementary school children to carry them to school and use them on the bus. Young students can’t bring stuffed animals or Pokémon trading cards, but they can bring cellphones, some worth hundreds of dollars?

I don’t think the superintendent understands the reality of children bringing phones to school. Middle school students are watching pornography on their phones. Children are cyberbullying each other via text. And some children have an application installed on their phones to get around a school’s “secure” server. The school board should do its homework.

How would allowing elementary school children to bring cellphones to school lower costs, close the achievement gap or help kids focus? The teachers would have one more distraction to deal with. Who asked for this?

I want proof that this is a good idea before it is implemented.
I have been serving my school as a PTA member, board member and volunteer for years. I am discouraged that MCPS does not get the message that devices at school are a social and potential health problem, not to mention a privilege that not all can afford.
I urge MCPS leadership to include parents in decisions that so plainly involve us.

Lisa Cline, Gaithersburg

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dont-let-children-take-cellphones-to-school/2016/12/01/9b35e31e-b73d-11e6-939c-91749443c5e5_story.html?utm_term=.c433c6c0a0c3

2 comments:

  1. Why this would upset the minions who dream up new virtual markets for high tech gadgets that the youth gets hooked on and the parents work two jobs in order to afford the service.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Honestly, if something horrid were to happen at school, I'd want my son to have his phone to call me. I don't leave my child's security and protection up to MCPS. If my son had NOT had his phone when an MCPS bus driver failed to drop him off at his bus stop...and went off route, then failed to tell him or me where he was going when my son called me scared out of mind. He was the last kid on the bus. He was able to communicate to the driver that I was calling the police. That was how I got my son back, unharmed.

    ReplyDelete

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