Should students in New York City schools be allowed to have cell phones? That’s the question some are asking amid a new call for a change in the citywide policy.
Regardless of the fact that there is citywide ban on them, at Stuyvesant High School, one student said, “Of course everyone has them. [They] just keep them away.”
However, despite that student’s comments, school officials apparently are not blind to what is going on.
“There was a surprise screening of all the kids. We had to walk through metal detectors and they took everybody’s cell phone,” the student told WCBS 880 reporter Alex Silverman.
That has happened a few times recently on Staten Island and Community Education Council 31 president Sam Pirozzolo is pushing the city to rethink its policy.
EXTRA: Read The Community Education Council Proposal (PDF)
“This is ridiculous, to bring everything to a grinding halt, to lose the opportunity for students to have breakfast, to lose a class or one or two periods of instructional time,” said Pirozzolo.
He wants the city to allow phones so the students can stay safe, especially on commutes that can often involve crossing through dangerous areas.
This would require the okay from an Education Department panel.
“People need cell phones to survive in the city,” said one student.
{CBS Broadcasting/Matzav.com Newscenter}
