My name is Alex Nagy and I am a junior at Union Grove High School. I write this today to bring up an interesting argument concerning the use of electronic devices inside schools such as mp3 players and cell phones. I am arguing the point that both these devices are strictly forbidden from school.
For many students, like myself, it is very easy to be distracted or brought off topic while doing an assignment. Before, we were allowed to listen to mp3 players while we work but that privilege has been taken away. In my classes now there are many people who quite frankly have no care whether they pass or fail the class and make it extremely difficult to concentrate for the other students. I have found in many students, not just myself, that the use of these mp3 devices drastically improve the abilities to focus. It is like white noise for us. It is just as effective as working in a silent room by yourself.

Many students rely on their cell phones for more than just communication with their friends. Students also use their phones to communicate to their parents on many occasions. Students and parents use cell phones as a safety device. If I child is sick at school, going to the office to use a phone that every other sick student has already used is just not sanitary. Now when a sick students texts his mom/dad telling them that they are sick they can respond more rapidly and effectively rather than hearing it from a skeptical teacher who thinks your just looking for an excuse to get out of school.

Another issue surrounding cell phones is when they get taken up. Now I am not arguing that they shouldn’t be taken up because if a student is texting during class then it deserves to be taken but it shouldn’t be kept until a parent is able to come get it. A good friend of mine had her cell phone taken up one day in class. The teacher refused to give it back at the end of the day and wouldn’t allow her to notify her dad, who is a single parent, to come get it. This may not seem very bad but when a single parent is constantly trying to get in touch with his only-child after school but is met with a voicemail can be very frightening. Cell phones should be allowed to be used during times when learning is not going on like during lunch, class changes, or trips to the bathroom. This way teachers can have an actual excuse as to why the phone was taken because there was allotted time for texting. This way it is a win-win for both students and teachers.

If either device is taken during the class time, the device should be returned to the student either at the end of that class or at the end of the school day to avoid frightening situations such as the one earlier mentioned. This proposal should be appealing to both parties of students and teachers.