March 1, 2011

Dear principal,

I believe that of the two policies being considered, it is clear that one is much better than the other. The first policy, stating that students can use their phones during free time and have them turned off during classes is a better choice than not having cell phones at all.

The cell phone is a main force behind a teenagers life. Cell phones being used at school is nothing new. Schools where cell phones have been banned show a lot of in class activity, by secretly texting behind their books or talking on the phone in the bathroom. If a cell on cell phones is put into effect, who is to stop kids from using them in class anyway, as they have in the past. The ban on cell phones would also make kids feel like they are less responsible than they truly are, by taking away their rightful possession's like a two year old. High school and middle school's job is to prepare you for the shark tank that is our world, and in the world, no one will be there to monitor your decisions, and whether or not it is the right time to use your phone.

And anyways, what's the point in having free time like lunch or recess, when you cant do what you truly want, which may be to text you friend or call your uncle? If there should be free time at all it should be open to the students to make their own decisions and use their phone if they feel fit.

Recently, a bus had broken down in Illinois. The bus, which had supposed to bring the students home between for and four thirty, had an engine blowout and did not arrive until over two and a half hours late. The students, due to the strict cell phone policy, had no means of calling their parents, and the furious parents wildly called the school, demanding to know where their children were. Since the bus driver did not have a cell phone either, the school was oblivious to the blowout and didn't have a clue either. if these children had their cell phones with them, that whole situation could have been avoided way easier and saved a lot of heartache for those parents.

If the phones are being turned off in class, they should definitely be allowed. Two or three people disobeying the rules is outweighed by the fact that cell phones are the kids rights and that they are very crucial in emergency situations as well as the happiness of the students attending the school. Students know that they have the power to do anything they want without getting caught and the other policy doesn't even cross the students kind, so why enforce it if it doesn't matter to the students anyway?

These things should be heavily taken into account and recognized by you and your staff. Thank you, and have a wonderful evening.

Sincerely,

STUDENT_NAME