Essay on Banning Cell Phones in School

Did you know that when cell phones are banned in the classroom test scores improve by 6.4 percent (Denver 7-The Denver Channel)? Surprisingly, when phones are banned students are more productive and it actually adds an hour to every school week (Denver 7-The Denver Channel). In fact, Jon Akers who works with Kentucky Center for School Safety wrote an article called “ 12 Problems Caused by Students with Cell Phones” which said phones could cause “bullying or harassing other students with unwanted voice or text messages” (Akers 2). Overall cell phones should be banned because they distract students, decrease learning time, and give more opportunities for bullying.

Foremost, the ban on cell phones allows for a more productive environment. For example, when cell phones are removed students' test scores are proven to increase.  An experiment reported by The Denver News Channel announced that “grades improved by 14%” when phones were no longer accepted in the classroom(Denver 7) Evidently,  when phones are put away or not allowed to be brought to school, students benefit greatly. In addition to better test scores, the school environment is safer. Jon Akers stated that “Experts have found that cell phones could be used to detonate a bomb if it is near the school's campus” (Akers 8). In today's day in age parents, students, and staff can reduce the tension endured by these issues by simply removing cell phones. Lastly, phones compromise the privacy of students. To add to reasons why phones should not be permitted on campus,  Jon Akers found that “students secretly take inappropriate photographs of other students and then distribute them” (Akers 4). This information clearly displays and illustrates the main problem of why cell phones should not be used in school. In conclusion, cell phones being banned creates a more productive and cautious atmosphere on campus.

In this case, some may argue the use of cellphones in school has many positive benefactors. To add, many students use their cell phones for individual work or research. A district in Denver, Doug Co Schools, states that students are “googling, collaborating, and challenging one another with their findings'' (DougCoSchools). Although this is a way of education, there are many ways to avoid it such as district-provided computers. Additionally, when students have a handheld device it is incredibly easy to get unfocused, especially with social media platforms. Arguably, cell phones can be beneficial in the classroom, and for good reason. Doug Co Schools tell us that '' cell phones in the field record evidence of an experiment” (DougCoSchools). While some may believe this is true, it is quite the opposite. As stated, phones cause distractions and reduce the efficiency of work being done.

Overall cell phones should be banned because they disturb students, decrease learning time, and allow more opportunities for bullying. Moreover,  cell phones can be dangerous for not only the person using them but everyone in the school as well.  In Conclusion, the use of mobile phones is unnecessary and should not be permitted in school environments.