Middle School Public Debate Progr am -- www.middleschooldebate.com
Cellular phones should be allowed in schools
Key Terms
Sources
Prohibition Education World
Crisis Preparedness http://www.edu cation-world.com/a_issues/issues270.shtml Disruption
Land line The Desert Sun: Schools May Allow Cellular Phones http://www.thedesertsun.com/news /stories2003/local/20030910021751.shtml
MSN: Cell Phone Users More Polite http://www.msnbc.com/news/802842.asp?0si=-#BODY Fact Set
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The average U.S. cellular phone user uses 490 minutes of cellular time per month. Late in 2002, cellular phone use in the U.S. overtook the use of landline service.
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As of September 2003, it is estimated that one in three students aged 10 to 19 have a cellular phone.
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In a September 2003 poll taken by an online mobile retail company only 10 percent of respondents said it was acceptable to talk on a cellular phone wh ile on school property, including classrooms.
Arguments in favor of allowing cellular phones
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Cellular phones are necessary for safety. Their use on September 11 demonstrates how helpful they are in allowing parents and students to contact each other in an emergency.
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The Columbine attacks and other instances of school violence show how helpful it might be to give students the ability to contact emergency personnel while at school.
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Schools can require that students tu rn off their cell phones during classe s, but students would still have them for use in an emergency or to check messages in between classes.
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Cellular phones can be set to not ring during class, therefore minimizing the di sruption to the learning environment. Regulating cellular phone usage woul d be better than banning them altogether.
Arguments against allowing cellular phones
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Cellular phones distract students and teachers by in terrupting classes and disrupting the