Dear School Principal,

In many schools, cell phones can be a big problem. Teachers catch students texting instead of paying attention in class and constantly have to tell them to keep their phones turned off or take them away. Many administrators ban cell phones from school, as suggested by Policy 2, for fear of students texting answers to each other for tests and distracting them from their lessons. While this may seem like a appealing idea in many ways, students need cell phones at school for important reasons besides talking to their friends.

A lot of students participate in extracurricular activities after school. Activities such as sports, clubs, and performing arts practice after school and students have to arrange for a ride home. Students need to have cell phones at school in order to contact their ride to tell them where to pick them up, if there is a time change or practice is cancelled. After school is over most schools are locked or students are unable to reach school phones.

Cell phones are needed to make contact with a student's ride and make sure they arrive home safely.

Another reason students need cell phones at school is to make sure they have all of their supplies for the day. Say you forgot your science project at home. You could use your cell phone to call your parents or a neighbor to ask them to drop it off at school.

You may also need to schedule a meeting after school for a study group or project.

You could use your cell phone to contact the group members, schedule a meeting place and make sure they know what to bring. Having a cell phone can help students be prepared for learning and improve their study skills.

Allowing students to have their cell phones at school is an important part of their safety and enhances their learning ability. Unfortunately, they can be distracting, which is why

Policy 1 would be the best choice. With the phones turned off during class time, students could stay focused on the lesson, but still be able contact friends or family if they need to.

Sincerely,

An 8th grade student