Nothing like teaching ’em early that we no longer live in a free society.
Fearing their wireless freedom may be in jeopardy, students at Framingham High School were fuming over a new school policy that allows administrators to seize cell phones and search their contents.
The policy, administrators say, is to improve security and stop the sale of drugs and stolen goods, but students said that the edict is an invasion of privacy.
“It’s not anyone’s business what is in students’ cell phones,” said Demitriy Kozlov, who will be a senior in September. “If they think someone’s dealing a pound of coke or pot, then there is a reason to, but that doesn’t happen here.”
School Commandant Michael Welch
In the name of freedom, I welcome our Orwellian overlords.
I disagree on this. Cell phones should not be on during school hours. IF a administrator feels he should take a phone parents should be called and have them in the mix. At no time should a administrator act without parents knowledge.
I am sorry though if anyone thinks a kid in school should be allowed a cell phone to be on in class then you are wrong. School is not the place for cell phone use. Also dont say “what if the parents need the kid?” You call the school. thats what i do. If i need my child i call the school. Tell me a reason for a cell phone..
what they really want is to find all those nude photos guys take of they 15/16 year old girlfriends in order wack off to all those schoolgirl ideas men teachers have.
the amount of nude underage teen girl pics on the net is going to rise really soon!
As a high school student, any one is allowed to take a phone if they see it. What this is allowing is the ability for a administrator to take the cell phone even if it is always off and stowed in their locker.
ok then that would be different. Kurt. If the student put it away and is responsible with it then the school has no right what so ever.
Good point
I thought it was called theft! If the phone is bothering in class, then displine the student, don’t steal the cell phone.
Doesn’t matter. They don’t follow rules they deem absurd anyway. I knew a principal who liked the abuse power like this. She backed off every time angry parents got involved. These policies are absurd and they won’t dare try to enforce it to a nonstudent. It’s blatant age descrimination.
I have to support the right of school administrators to seize a cell phone, if its use is disruptive, and if they return the cell phone at the end of the day after instructing the student to leave it at home going forward.
A no cell policy must be clearly stated.
However, if my child’s cell phone content were searched without myself present and without a warrant (which last I checked, high school principals were not able to request, what with them not being law enforcement officers), then I shall be raising some unholy hell with that administrator.
Come on. Kids don’t have rights. Give me a freakin break.
While I don’t condone the school taking private property away from kids, this won’t happen with my kid as he’s not getting a cell phone until he moves out. I mean, come on, who needs a fricken cell phone?
Who’s job here is THAT important? Are you all surgeons or something? Throw the damn things away. Free yourselves!
Also, I’m rather proud of the fact that it’s almost impossible to get ahold of me.
This is just another reason to not put your kid in to a government school. Private schools all the way!
>>I disagree on this. Cell phones should not
>>be on during school hours.
Nothing in the article mentioned the cell phones having to be ON.
All that’s necessary is that the school official know the student has one, and he or she can take it and poke around on a fishing expedition.
I agree with #1. ALL HAIL OUR ORWELLIAN OVERLORDS. Besides, it’s good training for the little ankle-biters for when they grow up and the gummint can commandeer their personal information and invade their privacy on a whim. Warrants? We don’t need no steenkin’ warrants!
The rule complies with federal law, which says a school can conduct searches when there is “reasonable suspicion” that a student has contraband.
Interesting. Conduct searches… suspicion student has contraband…
What are they hoping to find? Pictures of “contraband”? text messages arranging drug sales?
And like Kurt mentioned in #4, this is not about disruptive use of your phone in class, this is the administrator “suspecting” you of being a dealer and/or thief, and “reserving the right” to look through your phone for evidence against you. Not just school property, like your locker…
Does having your phone password-protected mean you have something to hide?
Kids, remember to lock your phone if you take it to school, and don’t use a code that is easily connected to you. It may be a pain, but maybe they will get the idea, Parents complain.
Kids should not be using their phone during school hours, but they should be able to have them with them, unless they live at school or possibly right next door. Emergerencies can happen on the way to and from, those doing sports may need them to call home to get a ride after practice, those older and driving.. well they may have an accident and need them. If a kid uses it durring class a Teacher should be able to grab it, turn it off place it on their desk in plain view until the end of the day (for younger kids), the end of the period, (for JR/SR high). Nothing more, and certanly not be able to search the info. A search of the data should only happen by law enforcment in the investigation of a crime with permission or a warrant. If a Kid is repeat offender they should recieve approperate discipline, but not be deprived of their/their parents property or right to privacy.
They say it agrees with federal law, however if they suspect the child of having contraband, do they really expect to find the contraband in the phone? (Unless they are looking for illegal media files)
JC: I have one for work because I travel between locations and don’t have a set schedule. Just because I have one doesn’t mean that it’s on. My ring is a single beep for all calls and a double beep if my wife calls (which happens during emergencies only).
At my daughter’s school – a private one – there is a 6yo with a phone. During lunch she calls her friends who have them. 😛 WTF? Her mom said “she wanted one, I don’t see the harm”. yeah, right.
When I taught college 2 years ago we had a no phone use in class rule. If your phone rang during class you’d be asked to leave. One student, destined to spend her life working the makeup counter at the mall could not grasp this concept. Every class her phone would ring, every class she’d happily leave. It happened on final exam day…she started crying when she realized what happened. Too late now, enjoy your mall job!
#15, ‘ ‘ Her mom said “she wanted one, I don’t see the harm”. ‘ ‘
That’s pretty much one of the root problems here in a nutshell.
do they realy expect to find the contraband in the phone? (Unless they are looking for illegal media files)
John has uncovered the truth.
The RIAA is behind this!
Alright, i’m a fifteen year old student, i’ll be a sophomore in the fall. This effects me somewhat directly. I’m not the type to be using my phone in class. I’m not that social, i use it for quick calls to make appointments, etc. I know a lot of kids at my school will text message during class. If anyone here listens to TwiT, you may remember a few episodes back hearing about an alert tone that older people cannot hear. I’m not for these kids, and it seems that i agree with most of you, we should be paying attention, learning. I know that this is not the issue addressed, but i don’t think in any situation it is fair to read private messages of students. I read a lot of articles on this blog about minors having absolutely no first ammendment rights. It’s quite aggravating, because it’s true. This may sound a little extreme (gay marriage leads to marrying snakes), but i think that officials having this access to cell phone messages can only lead to stronger invasions of privacy, e-mail messages, maybe. Kids can’t even express how they feel about things publically without expulsion, we should at least be able to hang on to our private conversations. I understand that this is supposed to be an act against drug dealing. We had the drug dogs in the school one day last year, i think they caught like half a dozen kids. I have no problem with this, it’s effective, and only against the students who break the law. This right to take a kid’s cell phone and read his or her private messages will be unresponsibily taken advantage of. I know plenty of strange kids with 4.3 GPAs that wouldn’t break a traffic law. The teachers aren’t going to have time to teach with all of the seizing they’ll be doing.
4.3 GPA? I thought 4.0 was the max. Proof positive that that cell phone you got in school is throwin you off! Just teasin with ya Blaine.
gwendle..
you can do way better than a 4.0 if you take AP tests!
4.3 GPA? I thought 4.0 was the max. Proof positive that that cell phone you got in school is throwin you off!
Right, like College Football players that give 110%.
The rule complies with federal law, which says a school can conduct searches when there is “reasonable suspicion” that a student has contraband.
The problem is “reasonable suspicion” does not give carte blanche to read every phone. Only where and when there is suspicion. I do think the School might have a problem declaring this to be contraband if it is a legal item, it is turned off, and is stowed in a backpack. Especially if the phone was given to the student by the parent. Phones that are being used during class time are entirely different and should be confiscated.
A physical search is legal as long as they are benign and non intrusive. For example, the principal can’t do a cavity search but may open a student’s locker. An electronic search might be illegal without a warrant on the same principle.
Why in the world are they so worried about kids’ privacy? There was a theft when I was in school, and no one thought twice about invasions of privacy when they searched every locker. School administrators shouldn’t have to obey the 4th Amendment. I don’t see how private school makes things more private. They can do just about anything. Look at all those speech codes on private campuses.
and no one thought twice about invasions of privacy when they searched every locker.
Were the lockers owned by the individual students, or provided by the school?
Well of course, they were the school’s lockers, assigned to each student. However, the same logic is used with the ACLU suing schools that search lockers.
Well of course, they were the school’s lockers, assigned to each student. However, the same logic is used with the ACLU suing schools that search lockers.
Ya, right on the money again. Why don’t you ever cite your sources? Would it be because Rush Limbaugh told you it happened?
Although the ACLU may have fought the issue years ago, it has been accepted law for quite some time. So AB CD, when you put in your reference, please keep it within the past 5 or so years.
This article and all the comments just reinforce my opinion led by recent lawsuit related to NYC school system ban on cellphones in schools. Schools were allowed to keep this practice (if you bring phone in it can be siezed for no other reason than having it). I am 100% behind such decision as anything else brings in possibilities for abuse on both sides (missuse by kids and privacy violations by staff). There is absolutely no reason for kids to have cellphones in school. Only thing I’d allow would be phone-check-in room. Student comes to school with it, gives it to the check-in person, picks it up on the way out.
Dusan, most schools have this policy. In my district, schools are to be off during school hours, and should be stored in the students car or locker, or simply left at home.
Now lets say that 50% of the students still have a phone visible at some point during the school day (“checking the time”, texting, actively placing calls in the bathroom). What do you propose as a consequence?
If we have a check-in person, then whom should we fire? Many public schools have a budget for a particular number of staff based on the number of students. Should we get rid of a custodian, a secretary (and please don’t make this their job, they have enough to do already), an administrator, or a teacher?
What should happen if a cell phone is stolen from the phone-check-in room? (re: earlier person who said that the confiscated cell phone should be placed on the teacher’s desk: if that contraband cell phone is then stolen after confiscation, it’s currently on the teacher to replace it)
The main problem with getting an exemption from the FCC for schools to have cell phone jammers is that teachers are also fond of their cellies.
>because Rush Limbaugh told you it happened?
You told me it happened. And the logic was the same as that being said here with regards to cell phones: privacy for students trumps administrators keeping an orderly school.