PHONES: Have place in school

As a result of the recent gun threats toward students at Lake City High School, several opinions have sprung up concerning the use of smart phones in school. In a recent editorial titled “‘Smart’ Phones Don’t Belong in Schools,” the writer described the reasons personal electronic devices should be banned on school grounds during school hours. Although the reasons expressed in this editorial hold importance to parents and community members, they often look at these points and make quick decisions without even considering that banning cellular devices would not do anything to solve the problem of gun threats.

The issue is cyberbullying, not having smart phones in school. Simply removing personal devices from school grounds will not stop cyberbullying because as soon as the students are off school grounds, they have full access to their smart phones, and they have the ability to comment anything they want on the various social medias they have access to. The gun threats that were made specifically toward Lake City High School students were not made during school hours. They were anonymous posts made by a person. The threats were not created by the phone itself. The smart phone is not the problem, the person typing and sending the threats is the problem.

Many students use their phones in school for educational purposes. Online quiz and study sites that have been approved by the Coeur d’Alene School District, such as Kahoot.it and Albert.io, are extremely useful resources for students to sharpen what they know and learn new materials. Also, the ability to use their cellular devices in school allows students to access and work on assignments teachers have posted in Google Classroom. Sure these devices can be distracting, but this is a choice made by the student, and it is their education.

The final sentence of the editorial states, “There’s nothing to lose and so much to gain—,” however, this is simply not true. Many community members do not know or acknowledge the benefits having smart phones in class have for a student’s education because they are not students themselves. Cyberbullying and threats have always been possible with modern day technology, and because of the recent events surrounding Lake City High School, people have now become concerned with smart phones. Technology is always changing and always creating new issues, but we can adapt. We cannot live our lives in fear, for that would restrict us from moving forward and enjoying the opportunities we have been given.

TORIANA WILSON

Lake City High student