GREG ABBOT BANS CELL PHONES TEXAS SCHOOLS

Written by Michael Thervil

GREG ABBOT BANS CELL PHONES TEXAS SCHOOLS | PHOTO BY GABRIEL C. PÉREZ

[Greg Abbot bans cell phones Texas schools] With Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbot signing House Bill 1481 in law which bans students from bringing cell phones, headphones, tablets, smart watches, and other like devices into their schools. According to Governor Greg Abbot:

“We have to make sure that during the few minutes we have in a class where children have the opportunity to learn a particular subject in the class, that their full attention is devoted to the subject.”

With the passing of house bill 1481 which takes effect September 18^th, it leaves room for Texas schools to decide how they will implement it. Some schools won't allow students to bring them in while other schools will require that students either have their phones locked up in a specific area or turned off in their bags. The signing of this new Texas State Law by Governor Abbot has sparked anger, frustration, anxiety, and for some relief from teachers, students, and parents. This mixed bag of feelings brings from the signing of the new law brings about new potential issues within Houston schools such as the smuggling and use of contraband (cell phones) and the confiscation of cell phones from students who get caught by school officials for possessing or using a cell phone on school campus.

The overwhelming majority of students are upset with the signing of the new law and some parents seem to be showing signs of anxiety over the actions of Governor Greg Abbot, but teachers are telling a different story. For the majority of teachers, although the signing of House Bill 1481 into law alleviates the headache of students being distracted from the learning process because of using cell phones in class, it also brings about another challenge which is the potential for getting into physical altercations with students that sneak their cell phones into the classroom.

In terms of penalties for students who get caught with their cell phones, it was reported that the phone would be confiscated by the school and the parent would be able to pick it up after school. If a second infraction occurs the phone would be confiscated, and the parent would have to wait one full day to pick up the student’s phone. If the student gets caught a third time, then the parents would have to wait two school days in order to retrieve their child’s phone.

OUR POSITION AT VEDA WORLD NEWS

The mere fact that the American education apparatus has to even address this demonstrates how low it prioritizes education. Over the last two decades there has been an increase in the amount of reported incidence of teachers and staff that have been both verbally and physically assaulted by students when any attempts were made to confiscate their cell phones in the classroom. It was also reported that many parents act as “enablers” by intentionally providing their children with a cell phone knowing full well that their child doesn’t have the discipline not to utilize the hone during class time, while also knowing that their child's school prohibits them from bringing a cell phone on campus. While parents bring up the issue of school safety and emergencies, the truth of the matter is there's very little parents can do if an emergency happens at the school.

In the case of a school shooting, parents are not allowed to attempt any kind of “rescue” of their child from the school, in fact the only thing a parent can do is stand along the perimeter of the campus at best. Like it or not, cell phones are a distraction to the learning process and this is because of the constant notifications, the taking of photos and video, the playing of video games, and the rampant use of social media by students. Remember, America not only fails to rank in the top five when it comes to the education world, but in terms of education, Americans aren't able to successfully compete against the educational systems of other developed nations on the world stage either.