Lisa Moody, a student at South Shelby High School in Missouri, has written an article that is posted on the school's webpage. She asks the question, "Are cell phones really as bad as we think?" Ms. Moody presents a compelling  argument as to when and why students should be allowed to use cell phones during the school day. Below is a quote from her article:

Texting during lunch/study hall has been brought up by students as a time to be able to text. Candace Blackford and Cassie Larrick both agreed and said, "if all their schoolwork is done then why not." Being aloud to text during school should be a privilege.

I have to admit I never thought of looking at using cell phones as a privledge students could earn. Interesting perspective. We allow our students to use their cell phones between classes and during lunch. As I reported here, our reported cell phone violations have decreased this year. The students have told me we have decreased the temptation to use their cell phone inappropriately because they know there is an appropriate time during the school day when they can use their cell phones.