Sixth grade boys caught texting in class

[goofy!]

This is what drives me NUTS these days.

Family member was caught smoking weed at school on camera. Parents were upset because said his rights were violated by videotaping.

Parents....have your kids stick to the rules so they don't get in trouble. If they don't, let them get in trouble and learn their lesson. I remember passing notes when I was younger. If the note was found, it was read aloud to the class - very embarassing then you received detention.

At my DD's school they aren't allowed to have a cell phone at all. As they come in to school they are to give it to the school secretary. They can get it at the end of the day. No need, whatsoever, for students to have their cell phones with them at school.

But did the teacher then go through your purse or other belongings to find all the other notes you have on you, all your personal information you have on you and read it?

Because that is what reading any texts or information other than the one just written that they were caught texting is equal to.

Would you have been angry after the teacher read the note you were passing, if she then asked you to hand over your purse and started going through all the papers in it and reading them? Because your phone is no different than your purse - it is a tool to store stuff in.

Again, I have no problem punishing the child for texting in school. I have no problem with the teacher reading the particular text (note) that was sent that the kid got caught with.

I do have a problem with the principal then scrolling through the phone and reading anything else that does not pertain to the particular incident.

I disagree with the need to have a phone in school. But then I live in Colorado where Columbine and Platte Valley High School are still pretty fresh. My kid's school has been in lockout a couple of times since then and when you are sitting outside waiting for the kids, it is nice to get a quick text saying it will be another hour before they are going to be released.

 

[wvjules]

You loose any rights when you break the rules.
If they broke one rule maybe he was checking if he had been cheating or bullying, but I dont know
ANd also, an added incentive to stop wasting everybodys time and playing with phones.
The parents should be concentrating on the kids not the teachers.....
TYPICAL

That type of thinking is crazy scary to me!

 

[hereyago]

Ok: For the kids' home situation: kids jobs are to be in school and pay attention. When I am at my job, I don't like nor some people can't have people call them at work unless it's an emergency. I don't knock people for having cellphones for the their kids, but unless it's an emergency, kids don't need to be on the phones for any reason. And honestly, I am a single Mom, however, my DD isn't still attached the umbiblical cord and I would be ticked if she called me during school if it wasn't an emergency. And if she had the phone taken away at school, I would back the school up.

If you as a college student chose to use your phone in class, when it was allowed, then you should have to suck it up having it taken away from you and have someone check it in case to check for possible cheating.

 

[kamik86]

Ok: For the kids' home situation: kids jobs are to be in school and pay attention. When I am at my job, I don't like nor some people can't have people call them at work unless it's an emergency. I don't knock people for having cellphones for the their kids, but unless it's an emergency, kids don't need to be on the phones for any reason. And honestly, I am a single Mom, however, my DD isn't still attached the umbiblical cord and I would be ticked if she called me during school if it wasn't an emergency. And if she had the phone taken away at school, I would back the school up.

If you as a college student chose to use your phone in class, when it was allowed, then you should have to suck it up having it taken away from you and have someone check it in case to check for possible cheating.

The school I went to was very good about this. Most teachers had phone policies during class... one of my favorites was that you got one freebie for the semester. Any other times your phone rang or you were caught on it you lost 1 point on your final grade. If at any point the teachers phone rang or we saw him on it during class we all got a point. (I don't even know if the guy had a cell phone on him during class though).

Some teachers would fail you assuming you were cheating if you were texting during class. This works fine and doesn't involve reading the texts!!

I always had my phone on me but I would put it on silent (not vibrate completely silent) for class and then check it as I left class every time. Not difficult.

 

[RockAndRollBallerina]

If a parent needs to get ahold of their child, they call the secretary who will get the child out of class.

This is how it should be as the class room is no place for cell phones. Kids are at their job when they are in school for the day, which means that the cell phone shouldn't even be in sight, or on until the school day is over.

The school district I went to until I graduated from high school had a very easy to follow policy in regards to cell phones, and other wireless communication devices. If you were seen using it, or even just taking it out of your backpack during the school day (7:40AM-2:47PM), it was taken away, and your parents had to pick it up from the office when they were able to. And if your parents needed to get a message to you during the school day they had to pick up the phone and call the office and the office runner would deliver the message to you in whatever class you happened to be in at that time.

 

[DISvirgin1]

I have no problem with what the principal did. She had probable cause to review his texting history for the school day. We can hash out all the scenarios of how she might have looked at his texts from last weekend, but it truly is irrelevant as it cannot be proven that the principal looked beyond the immediate history.
The fact is, they texted during class and got caught and the evidence of all who were texting was right on that 6th graders phone.To compare it to a traffic stop--that's like saying, but officer, the coke was only on the seat--but you can't search my trunk.
Once there is probably cause, it is all fare game. It would be a waste of the courts time for the parents to pursue this as all other types of searches on school property have been upheld in the courts.Better the boys learn now that a rule that disallows something should be followed.
The story reads that they more so got in trouble for texting and not for what they texted.

I do not get why a 6th grader needs a phone in class. To have after school? Sure, but in class? Nope.

 

[ICF]

No worse than passing notes back and forth. The Principal would read those, too.

Moral: If you don't want to lose your phone and/or any private messages on it, don't be using it when you shouldn't be.

agreed

 

[lillygator]

And as a parent I would go pick up the phone and go home without showing the principal the text because it's none of their business.

why not?

I do not get why a 6th grader needs a phone in class. To have after school? Sure, but in class? Nope.

exactly..no one, no matter the grade needs a phone in class.

 

[ccgirl]

But did the teacher then go through your purse or other belongings to find all the other notes you have on you, all your personal information you have on you and read it?

Because that is what reading any texts or information other than the one just written that they were caught texting is equal to.

Would you have been angry after the teacher read the note you were passing, if she then asked you to hand over your purse and started going through all the papers in it and reading them? Because your phone is no different than your purse - it is a tool to store stuff in.

Again, I have no problem punishing the child for texting in school. I have no problem with the teacher reading the particular text (note) that was sent that the kid got caught with.

I do have a problem with the principal then scrolling through the phone and reading anything else that does not pertain to the particular incident.

I disagree with the need to have a phone in school. But then I live in Colorado where Columbine and Platte Valley High School are still pretty fresh. My kid's school has been in lockout a couple of times since then and when you are sitting outside waiting for the kids, it is nice to get a quick text saying it will be another hour before they are going to be released.

Let's look at it this way. I was passing a "note" in class that was in a notebook. The teacher would then read the entire notebook not just the page the "note" was on. The principal did not search the student or their belongings. Again, this is a great lesson learned that nobody should ever assume texts or emails are private.

 

[Planogirl]

I find this puzzling. I see DISers constantly posting when it comes to vacations during school time that the schools have no right to run the kids' lives. They often say that it's up to the parents to raise the kids and not the schools and that they should be allowed to set the rules.

This parent doesn't believe that the schools have the right to read messages on cell phones or search book bags and so on without probable cause. I feel like allowing the schools to do those things is turning child-rearing over to the schools. Interesting that some of us see things so differently.

I do agree that kids should not have cell phones out while at school. The concept of turning phones over to one office worker as a PP mentioned boggles my mind though. I'm picturing hundreds of students at our high school all trying to pick up their cell phones at once.

 

[goofy!]

I do not get why a 6th grader needs a phone in class. To have after school? Sure, but in class? Nope.

I don't think anybody has argued that a 6th grader needs a phone in class.

Everything I have read says that if the 6th grader is caught, punish him. Take the phone away. Give him detention. Make him write a 500 word essay on why texting in class is not a good idea.

If cheating is suspected, then punish the child with the exact same punishment that any other form of cheating is given. If a child has the answers written on the inside of his hat (see this a lot in high school), does the school have the right to strip the kid and look at all his other clothes to check for cheating? No. The child is punished for THAT incident.

Nobody said the child shouldn't be punished for breaking the rules.

The only thing that was said is that the principal does not have the right to access the phone and read any data that is not THE text that the child was caught sending.

The kid was wrong. Digging through somebody's private information is also wrong.

My parents always told me that 2 wrongs don't make a right.

Edited to add:

I also think the type of phone kids carry in your area colors your perspective.

In my kid's middle school, most of the kids have some sort of smart phone, be it an Iphone, a Droid, a Blackberry or some other smart phone. My 8th grader has a Samsung Epic 4g. His 2 best friends have Iphones. 2 other boys in our carpool have Droids. Another kid has a blackberry. Lots of kids are carrying their parent's hand-me-down smart phones. There is a WHOLE lot of potential data on these phones that principals just don't need to see. For instance, they don't need to access the 14 year old girls menstrual cycle tracking app.

When you pull up texting on my child's phone, it gives a list of all the people and the first few lines of the text. So, if the principal entered the messaging area, they would see every latest text from everybody, including any that may be personal from parents, etc, at a single glance. None of their business really.

However, the old style phones are not so easy to access more personal information, so it would be much easier to allow a principal to access a phone that just texts and doesn't have a ton of personal apps on it.

 

[wvjules]

I don't think anybody has argued that a 6th grader needs a phone in class.

Everything I have read says that if the 6th grader is caught, punish him. Take the phone away. Give him detention. Make him write a 500 word essay on why texting in class is not a good idea.

If cheating is suspected, then punish the child with the exact same punishment that any other form of cheating is given. If a child has the answers written on the inside of his hat (see this a lot in high school), does the school have the right to strip the kid and look at all his other clothes to check for cheating? No. The child is punished for THAT incident.

Nobody said the child shouldn't be punished for breaking the rules.

The only thing that was said is that the principal does not have the right to access the phone and read any data that is not THE text that the child was caught sending.

The kid was wrong. Digging through somebody's private information is also wrong.

My parents always told me that 2 wrongs don't make a right.

 

[Rora]

OMG... texting about the principal!!!
That truly is abhorrant!!!
And, why in the heck are kids using cellphones at school!!!

However, I have to say this.

No, NO, NO.....
A cell-phone is not a child's note. More like a sealed letter, which can not be opened by anyone else...

And, giving schools carte-blanche to go thru the stuff in a private cell phone is no less that SCARY!!!!!

Even our national security agencies (suppossedly) have limited authorization to phone access. And, of course, any other agency must have a specific case-by-case warrant.

No matter HOW abhorrant it is what the boys were doing... There is no way that any school staff should have turned on the phones and pulled up any information....

Confiscate the phone(s) - YES.
Have the parents required to pick up the phone(s) Very, very, strongly suggest the parents pull up the latest messages, and ask for permission to see anything that might warrant the schools attention... YES

But, no way, no how, nobody warrants open access to private info like that.

I agree 100%.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, exactly!!!!!

A teacher or principal turning on the cell-phone, which the parent is clearly paying for and owns, and opening the text messages should be just as much a crime as if they opened my private letters, eavesdropped or recorded my phone calls, etc... There is no, NO, justification, at all, for that kind of violation.

But, hey, it doesn't surprise me one little bit to see the attitudes of those here who are "bash the kids and bash the parents with a complete and total lack of human respect.... educators have no boundaries, are perfect, above the law, etc....

This thread could go around and around for the next ten years, and nothing would change that.

 

[Pigeon]

I find this puzzling. I see DISers constantly posting when it comes to vacations during school time that the schools have no right to run the kids' lives. They often say that it's up to the parents to raise the kids and not the schools and that they should be allowed to set the rules.

This parent doesn't believe that the schools have the right to read messages on cell phones or search book bags and so on without probable cause. I feel like allowing the schools to do those things is turning child-rearing over to the schools. Interesting that some of us see things so differently.

I do agree that kids should not have cell phones out while at school. The concept of turning phones over to one office worker as a PP mentioned boggles my mind though. I'm picturing hundreds of students at our high school all trying to pick up their cell phones at once.

Many people feel that taking your kids on vacation is a parental decision. They may decide to go outside of school vacations, or they may decide to have their vacations coincide with the school's no matter how expensive or inconvenient it might be. Parents have legitimate reasons for making their decisions, including family finances, schedules of other family members and family unity. The issue here is the school attempting to run the parents' lives and usurp the parents' decision making.

The decision to take out a cell phone and start texting during class is the kid's decision. It is a violation of the rules that the child, not the parent, has undertaken. Texting is frequently used for the purpose of cheating, so texting during class is "cause" in and of itself. The school has a legitimate right to find out who the student was cheating with and who else he or she was texting.

If the teacher grabbed a phone out of a kid's book bag and started reading their texts, that would be a different matter altogether.

For what it's worth, I don't think they should be searching book bags or toher personal belongings without cause, either. Lockers belong to the school, not to the child, so the school can do what it wants.

I have told my kids that they have no expectation of privacy with texts or any electronic communication. I read their texts at random, have their facebook passwords and monitor their computer use.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I have told my kids that they have no expectation of privacy with texts or any electronic communication. I read their texts at random, have their facebook passwords and monitor their computer use.

Yes!!! I agree with that one part... ( and ONLY that one part... vehemently agree with any justification for invasion of privacy)
As the PARENT, and as the person who is paying for their 'priviledge' of having and using these things... You bet my sweet biddy I would be able to check...

But, anyone else... IMHO... a CRIME.

 

[ols386]

A friend of mine told me about a situation that happened a few days ago at our local elementary school, and I thought it would be interesting to get your opinions.

Here's what happened: 3 sixth grade boys were texting on their cellphones during school hours. One of the boys got caught "mid-text" and got his phone taken away by the teacher, who then gave the phone to the principal.

The principal apparently scrolled through the texts and found out that these 3 boys had been texting back and forth about her (the principal) during school hours and had been calling her some very DIS-unfriendly names. The boys parents were called into school, and the kids are receiving some sort of school punishment.

Well, the parents of these 3 boys were discussing the situation on the playground after school, and they said that although they know their kids shouldn't haven been texting in school they are upset that the principal read the texts. They say she had no right to go through the phone, and that she violated the boys' rights. There was even talk of calling the superintendent of schools and a lawyer.

What do you think about this situation?

My understanding is that the principal was scrolling through the texts that the boys were exchanging during school hours. So others must be intrepreting that the principal went through and scrolled through earlier texts like with family or friends outside of school time.

I can see having a problem with scrolling through earlier texts that maybe the kids had exchanged with family or other friends outside of school time, but it seems to me like the principal did have the right to scroll JUST the texts that were exchanged during school (on that particular day).

The op doesn't say that the principal was scrolling through ALL of the 3 boys texts. I think some are presuming that all messages were scrolled through, including texts outside of school, and I'm not sure that's the case.

 

[goofy!]

Yes, exactly!!!!!

A teacher or principal turning on the cell-phone, which the parent is clearly paying for and owns, and opening the text messages should be just as much a crime as if they opened my private letters, eavesdropped or recorded my phone calls, etc... There is no, NO, justification, at all, for that kind of violation.

But, hey, it doesn't surprise me one little bit to see the attitudes of those here who are "bash the kids and bash the parents with a complete and total lack of human respect.... educators have no boundaries, are perfect, above the law, etc....

This thread could go around and around for the next ten years, and nothing would change that.

I don't think anybody said that educators have no boundaries, are perfect, are above the law, etc.

I for one think my kids have great educators. In fact, I said I fully support them issuing a punishment if my kid was stupid enough to get caught texting in class. I would very much side with the teachers.

I just don't agree with this one aspect of principals scrolling through data. Looking at the one text or any texts that have been sent during school hours - fine. Anything else -absolutely not. Which is why I would be there when they looked at the phone.

 

[ols386]

I don't think anybody said that educators have no boundaries, are perfect, are above the law, etc.

I for one think my kids have great educators. In fact, I said I fully support them issuing a punishment if my kid was stupid enough to get caught in class. I would very much side with the teachers.

I just don't agree with this one aspect of principals scrolling through data. Looking at the one text or any texts that have been sent during school hours - fine. Anything else -absolutely not. Which is why I would be there when they looked at the phone.

I could see this. Call the parents and when they come to school, they can be there if/when the texts sent during school are read.

 

[sam_gordon]

Question: Is it possible the texts that got the boys caught WERE proof of cheating (ie: the teacher found them texting answers during a test)? Does that give the princpal the "right" to look through old texts to see if they've done this before?

Also, love the PP who said (paraphrasing) "once they looked through the texts for suicidal thoughts, attackets, etc, if they didn't find any, they should stop looking". Um, you can't have it both ways. Either the principal is allowed to look through the texts or they're not.