Dear Principal:

I think you should allow students to have phones at school, as long as they are turned off during class. It helps parents communicate with their children and also helps the students to gain a better social life. It is easy to turn off a cell phone, so if a student is too lazy to do so, there shall be consequences.

Parents are always trying to communicate with their kids. Which might be difficult if their kids are hardly ever at home. They may be too busy with friends or maybe at work, but parents like to know where they are, what they're doing, and who they're with. A lot of teenagers go to other friend's homes after school. It is easier to use a cell phone to ask to ride home with them on the bus rather than go home, call a parent, then try to find a ride. Teenagers appreciate the use of cell phones and so do adults. Teachers would appreciate them too if teenagers didn't text in class.

Cell phones don't only help the ability for parents to communicate with their children, they also help teenagers communicate with each other. If my friends can't find me whether at lunch or after school, they usually send me a text asking me where I am. Yes, a cell phone is a distraction in class with it buzzing in your pocket all day long, but if we turn them off then we can turn our whole attention to the teacher and the lesson. Please don't deprive us from our only way of communication.

I also think teachers should ask for the students to put their cell phones in a basket during class and for them to pick their phone up on their way out of class. It makes the teacher certain that the students are paying attention, but also allows the students to have them during free times. If a student won't put their phone in the basket, I think they should at the very least have the decency to turn them off. They don't only distract the student using the phone, it also distracts students around them. Doing these things will make catching whoever is using their cell phones easier to catch, for they will be the only ones with a phone at the time. Those who are using them, should have consequences. These consequences could vary from detentions to having the phone taken away for the remainder of the class hour.

The school should have a system that leaves the student with a warning for the first time being caught. The second time they are caught, they shall have their phone taken away for the rest of the class. Third time being caught, they will have the phone taken to the office where the will have to retrieve it after school. If they are caught again, their phone will be taken to the office where they will call their parent to tell them they need to come get it. It doesn't only get you in trouble with the school but also gets them in trouble with their parents.

I believe banning phones from being taken to school would be a mistake. We should be able to have them, as long as we don't use them. I think this new policy would make not only the students happy but also the teachers happy. Please take this letter into consideration. Thank you.