One Text Message and an Out of School Suspension Later
While rushing around to get things ready for our Labor Day camping trip, my husband and I received a phone call from the school. One of the boys was in the office and needed a parent to come to the school.
I was in the process of packing up food and clothes, so my husband went. When he returned, he had the boy with him.
It seems that during lunch, he took his cell phone out and got caught.
While my husband was fuming, I chose to do a little investigation to see just what would prompt him to take the phone out in the first place. It became obvious that he received a text message from his girlfriend who goes to a different school – likely read it and placed the phone back in his pocket. He did not respond to the message.
Maybe I’m a little on the lenient side here, but it wasn’t as if he took the phone out during class. He wasn’t late for class and he wasn’t using it in a malicious way. I feel that lunch is the kids time to kick back, relax a little and prepare for the second half of their day. If they want to read a text message or play a game on their phone, I don’t see what the big deal is.
Well, the school sees it as a BIG enough deal that he has 2 days out of school suspension as the result.
What do you think? Punishment too harsh or am I just too much of a pushover?
I agree. I can understand banning electronic devices from classrooms. They should be kept in backpacks or purses or whatever. But between classes and during lunch breaks, I think kids should be able to use their phones if they need.
Too harsh – lunch break for kids should be much like that for adults – it’s THEIR free time between classes, where they don’t need permission to use the bathroom, use the pay phone, or their own cell phone. When I was in HS we even had off-campus freedoms during our free periods.
Umm, so the rules only apply part time? If the rule is ‘No Cell Phones at School’ then that is the rule. You can work with the school to change it, but if kids can randomly disregard the rules, seems like chaos will reign.
And seriously, there is something majorly wrong about not being able to go (gasp) a whole school day without using a cell phone. It was not an emergency – it was a text from his girlfriend. Rules are rules.
It’s seems pretty harsh to me. One time as a freshman I was using my phone on the way to lunch (I didn’t know the rules well and was talking to my mom). The only they did to me was take away my phone for a while and explain to me why I couldn’t use it. After that I followed the rules.
Way to harsh of a rule if you ask me.
But they are the rules…and if you know the rules and the consequences….can you really fault the school for the punishment?
This sounds like something that the parents (if they all agree) need to bring up to the school board.
If those are the rules, then I agree that all kids should follow them.
However, I do think that two days suspension is awful harsh punishment for breaking this rule. How about a warning and then an after hours suspension or something. Two days out of school is harsh.
I can see no tolerance for weapons and destructive behavior, but this is a bit beyond decent punishment for cell phone use.
rules are there for a reason.
two days OUT of school is a bit harsh.
then again, if that’s what’s written in the school handbook, then we just have to deal with the hand that’s been dealt.
i’m sure he’ll never bring that phone to school again.
I totally agree — the rules are the rules, and he knew he was taking a risk. So, he has to be willing to live with the results. I mean, it’s not like he was standing up to some great injustice or dealing with an emergency. Checking a text from his girlfriend seems like a pretty indefensible charge.
As parents, you might want to follow-up and say that you think this is extreme if it was a first offense (you don’t say whether he’s been in trouble before) and this is the standard punishment.
I agree that if the rule is no cell phones then it is spelled out for all students. They are a distraction regardless of when and where in school. The school spends unnecessary time trying determing if students in lunch detention can use them or text friends in iss or whatever. Students must learn to follow what is asked of them and I gaurantee that 98% can follow the rule. What about those few? Change the rule to accomodate those that can’t handle the rules? If there is a problem then follow a course of action and solve it through the channels other wise it is just a complant.
Have a fifth grader how just got home, has 1 day out of school suspention for taking cell phone out of book bag while on the bus. Never been in trouble before. Can I fight this????