Back in 1990, when Illinois lawmakers banned cell phones from public schools, it was hard to think of a reason a teenager might need one.
With their bulky bags and shrill electronic rings, the phones were an unwelcome classroom disruption. And they were so expensive, “the only kids who could afford cell phones were selling dope,” said state Rep. Mary Flowers, (D-Chicago), who championed the ban.
Today, three out of four teens own cell phones, according to Teenage Research Unlimited, a market-research firm based in Northbrook. Small enough to tuck in a backpack and virtually silent when set on “vibrate,” the phones have become vital links between members of busy families. And with memories of Columbine, Sept. 11 and other disasters never quite at bay, the ability to connect instantly via the wireless telephones is a priceless reassurance.
“They are safeguards,” said Flowers, who now is leading the charge to repeal the ban. “They are a parent’s comfort zone.”
Flowers, who failed last year to get the ban reversed, became even more determined after her frantic efforts to speak with her daughter at school Sept. 11. Despite repeated calls to the school office, Flowers couldn’t get through.
“Had my daughter had a cell phone, she would have been able to call me,” Flowers said.
Other parents recall the Columbine shootings three years ago, when students trapped inside the school were able to use their cell phones to call police and their parents.
“I just think it would be a good idea for my kids to have them available in case of such an emergency,” said Theresa Heniff, a Tinley Park mother of two teenage daughters.
The current bill, which would leave it up to local school boards to either prohibit or regulate the use of cell phones by students, has passed the Illinois House overwhelmingly and now is before the Senate.
Not everyone thinks it’s a good idea. In a poll of educators across the U.S. taken by the National Education Association last year, 76 percent said they were against students having cell phones or pagers in school.
But educators acknowledge that the ban is hard to enforce, and some even admit to looking the other way. Although students still bring the phones to school, they usually find it prudent to leave them turned off because a ringing phone is likely to be confiscated. Between classes, they use them to make calls from bathroom stalls or locker rooms.
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“We found that a lot of students were already in possession of these cellular devices and were doing it in a clandestine manner that wasn’t disruptive to education,” said Prospect High School Principal Michael Stevens.
The school is in Arlington Heights High School District 214, which opted out of the cell phone ban shortly after Sept. 11. The law allows districts to exempt themselves if the school board and principals agree on rules for cell phone use on school property.
Jim Blaschek, student council president at Sandburg High School near Orland Park, has collected more than 1,000 signatures urging Consolidated School District 230 to opt out of the state ban. Blaschek wants cell phones available “for when we would really need them,” such as an emergency in school or at home.
Most students want to carry the phones for convenience, so they can keep in touch with friends or family members.
Andrew Swanson, 18, a senior at Naperville Central High School, said he needs a phone to keep in contact with his mother, who is blind.
“I’ve got to drive her home [from work] because she can’t see,” he said. “If something happens and she left work early, I would know that I don’t need to come and get her that day.”
But not everyone favors lifting the ban. Some parents, especially those who can ill afford the cost of providing their children with cell phones, argue that there’s no compelling reason for students to have them in school.
“If I need to reach my child in an emergency, I just go through the school office,” said Judy McAllister of southwest suburban Homer Township.
Kenneth Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services, a consulting firm based in Cleveland, said cell phones won’t necessarily ensure greater safety in an emergency.
Hundreds of students trying to use their cell phones could jam lines or create confusion for emergency personnel, he said. Besides, he added, students looking for trouble find it easier to create an emergency, such as calling in a bomb threat, when they’re allowed to carry cell phones.
“The argument that somehow students will be safer with cell phones in school in the aftermath of Columbine and Sept. 11 is bogus,” Trump said. “The real reason why students and their parents want cell phones allowed on school property is simply a matter of convenience.”