Re: the rest. I wonder when the policy was set– I teach at a public high school and we have a general policy on the books about bringing electronic equip from home that was instituted way back in boom box days, ad it was related to theft. You say that the school is picky and things don’t get stolen– well, policies like that are part of the reason why. Having the policy provides liability coverage– otherwise when somebody’s stuff gets stolen, the school runs the risk of having daddy’s lawyer sue the plave for not “protecting” junior’s stuff.

But these days they should have a more forthright policy. Phones and mp3 players are fabulous cheating tools (did you know that you can download ringtones that are audible to teens but not adults?) and for that reason alone it would make sense for a school to ban them. And they might as well say so.

They don’t always understand the technology and students have found ways to cheat on tests using everything from ipod’s to cell phones. This trend has been noticed throughout the entire country and is difficult for teachers to keep up with the latest technique. Additionally, these devices can often be a ‘distraction’ to other students and take away their focus to learn.

If I was still in high school, and I was sitting in math class trying like hell to actually give a damn about the material when someone whipped out a fancy new iphone. Believe me, my entire focus would be on checking out this new device and possibily even getting my hands on it for a minute or two.