Dear Principal,

You have listed two possible policies about cell phones at school. The issue is common among all schools, considering that children are texting in class. You have presented two very common ideas about cell phone usage; the first allows students to use their cell phones during lunch and other free times, while your second suggests banning students from having phones at school. While both ideas can be considered good, I personally believe that your first idea is the better of your suggestions.

If you ban the use of cell phones at school, it cannot stop the students from bringing them. You can stop children from using their phones on paper, but this would not stop them from using them. They could take out and use their phones when teachers are not watching, and use them without being noticed. And when somebody gets caught, they just get angry at the school and have their parents come up to the school to get back the confiscated phone. This will give you no progress, as students would still use their phones in class and just get them taken away. Even if they have the chance of getting caught, they would still text or call somebody if they felt that it was something important. also, students would have to use a school phone to contact a parent if they are sick or forgot something, and not all teachers allow students to use class phones. And if they do, a sick person might use the class phone, allowing the germs to spread, possibly putting other students at harm of disease.

If students are allowed to use phones some point in the day, then they might not use them as often in class. Students could then contact friends if they do not have the same free time as them, and are able to contact a parent or guardian if they are sick. This will cut down on students using class phones, and will help stop texting going on in class. If they believe they have the liberty to text during free times and lunch period, then they will be less likely to text in class. By giving them freedom, you are helping yourself because they are less likely to break the rules if they have something to tell their friends or family and they do not need to break the school rules to tell them really quickly. They would have time to do and say whatever they wanted to friends and family, and that would cut down on students getting in trouble during class. It would also reduce the amount of parents that have to come to school with complaints and to retrieve the item that was taken away.

This will allow students to fell as if they more freedom, treating them like adults. If they feel they are treated like a grown person, they might start to act like one. This could improve their studies if they stay more focused in class because they feel well respected. This could also help they pay attention more in class if they are not texting during the teachers lesson. The teacher can not always see if a student is texting, so the pupil could easily get away with it. During a free time, students would be able to get all of their important texts to their contacts, and be able to focus more in class. This will improve the grades of students, and help prevent students from being held back or failing a class. It could even keep kids out of trouble. If a student gets bored after finishing their lunch or while outside, then they could mess around and get in trouble. But if they were allowed the privilege of their phones, then they could avoid getting in by talking to their friends instead of goofing around.

Over all, I believe that banning phones from school is a bad idea. None of the students would follow the rule, and they would just bring them to school and hide them. This will get zero progress, and will create no change in the school environment. If you let students text during free time, it could keep students from texting during class, and help them focus more. By distracting the students while they are outside or have free time, it could prevent them from doing something to get them in trouble. And less people would be angry. You would not have angry students or parents coming up to the school to take back a confiscated item, thus not having to bother with any angry people. This is where I stand on the policies, but the final decision is up to you.