| Releases
& Statements
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 6, 2007
Contact: Sarah Krauss
(212) 669-4193; (917) 541-0936
Release #: 052-2007
Public Advocate Gotbaum: Irresponsible to Ban Cell Phones in School
Public Advocate Gotbaum: Irresponsible to Ban Cell Phones in School
MANHATTAN – Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum released the following statement on the administration’s irresponsible ban on cell phones in public schools. The City Council is today considering new legislation that will modify the ban on cell phones.
Public Advocate Gotbaum said, "It is irresponsible for the administration to prevent children from bringing their cell phones to school. If the Department of Education did a better job listening to parents, it would easily recognize that their children’s safety is their number one concern. Much of a mom’s or dad’s anxiety can be removed by knowing that, in case of an emergency, their child is a phone call away.
“The use of cell phones in class should continue to be prohibited. However, the administration’s rationale for banning phones – including the claim that students use phones to cheat and look at pornography – is ridiculous. Kids figured out how to do these things long before cell phones were invented.
“While the Department of Education tests its pilot program to allow students to store phones in small lockers before entering schools, it should reverse its policy and allow all students to bring phones to school.”
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