Virginia Attorney General Says Teachers Can Take Students' Cell Phones, Read Texts

reply to post by Whereweheaded


you are trying to make sense to people who can't even quote accurately
and who think it is OK to watch children in their bed rooms
the constitution might be over their heads

Teachers should spend less time reading students text, and more time teaching and learning how to CONTROL a class room so that cellphone use ISN'T a problem.

reply to post by Danbones


Which would further suggest quoting accurately as to inform the readers, and to " deny ignorance " as this website so delicately attempts to pursue.

But, to most, ignorance is bliss~

Originally posted by littlecloud
I dont see why the teachers feel the need to pry on students lives, they are TEACHERS not PARENTS.

Look into the phrase "in loco parentis". While you are at school, the teachers have the same responsibilities as your parents, in disciplinary and protectionist matters.

Look, i agree with rules if they have some sort of logic behind them...

I applaud your acknowledgment of right vs. wrong and your acceptance of the consequences of violating the rules. However, try to keep in mind that what may seem illogical now, will most likely become clearer when you are older. Our views change, often dramatically, as our life experiences expand.

No where in the above does the 4th specifically identify a students rights may be infringed. This is yet another blatant attempt to violate a student's rights, and limit the possibility of outside influence. Is it possible this is an attempt of the USG, to not only " control " our students ( or people in general ), but to impose " laws/rules " to once again suggest an " order ", governed by the upper echelons of power only to demoralize the people in a whole? Where better to start than our schools? We've already seen a decrease in social, and intellectual skills within our educational system anyhow~

I totally agree with you. I have seen the same teacher I mentioned before completly humiliate students by screaming at them right up in their faces. One poor girl was just crying and crying. I feel that children no matter how old or young are people too and deserve the very same respect adults do. NOW, if a child is showing no respect then he/she imo doesn't deserve it back. You have to give respect to recieve it.

Teachers should spend less time reading students text, and more time teaching and learning how to CONTROL a class room so that cellphone use ISN'T a problem.

I don't think its fair to lay the blame of out of control children in a teachers lap. I believe parents should be parents and raise respectful children. I think parents have gotten too busy or too lazy or both to care what their children are doing. If parents would auctually enforce school rules (which means they have to be around when their child leaves for school) then we wouldnt have problems with cell phones in classrooms or dress code problems or out of control children. Too many parents arent being parents, they are too busy "living the american dream", too busy working to give a rats a$$ what their children are doing, watching, listening to, who thier friends are and whats going on in their lives in general. I think teachers should be teachers and not parents.

I am a lunch lady and we are told to sell sell sell, get as many kids as you can to buy lunch, encourage them to buy buy buy. We don't want parents making sack lunches, we want every kid in the school to buy lunch.

Originally posted by WTFover

Originally posted by littlecloud

Look into the phrase "in loco parentis". While you are at school, the teachers have the same responsibilities as your parents, in disciplinary and protectionist matters.




If that's the case, why do the liberal politicians claim they support education, but their actions like approving state funding for schools be on the contrary. One could easily see, the lack of authority to discipline a child within the confines of a school has been a major role on why the children of today are so lazy, careless, and undisciplined. But, if a teacher is going to be the " authority " figure in a students life, wouldn't teaching the child about his/her rights, then not infringing upon them be ideal? Power percieved, is knowledge achieved.

I would hope to think, that instead of infringing on a students rights, which btw would only teach the student the wrong way's of doing things in the latter part of life, that we would embrace the notion of not only enforcing the Bill of rights, but teaching it as well?

And there lies the problem, teachers of have also been " dumbed down" into believing that they have a major roll to play, and the only " feeling " of worth is by enforcing these god awful rules/laws that do nothing but infringe on a persons rights~ So much for that Masters degree?!!!

Hahaha the people are talking about students right regarding this. Hey, while we're at it, let's remove compulsory education! It's in violation of the student's (or would-be student's) right to choose whether or not to study!

IMO school's have to permeate an aura of discipline around them. I'd hate to see a future where a teacher is trying to teach yet he/she is not allowed to stop the kids in the classroom from texting, screaming, laughing because "it is in violation of their rights".. for #s sake..

I completly agree with disipline and the taking away of phones, ipods, etc. but I don't think the teachers have the right to snoop. A parent can if they choose but not a teacher.

Another thing that really, really, really urks me is the fact that students are not permitted to talk during thier whole 20 minute lunch break. They have 20 friggin minutes to east and over half that time (in elem schools), they can't talk. That is thier BREAK time, everyone needs a break time, teachers can talk staff can talk but not the kids who are cooped up in a classroom for 7 plus hours. Oh wait, my bad they also get a whopping 20 min recess. (Teachers however have hours away from the children while they are in art and music and PE).

reply to post by concerned190


the hell? Where did you read that about not being permitted to talk? That sounds outright sadistic to me, not disciplinary.

reply to post by Somehumanbeing


At my childrens school they can only talk for about 8 minutes. then they have to be quiet.

reply to post by BigTimeCheater


There's legal precedent for this. There's a fancy legal term to describe it, but essentially schools act as parents in the school setting with these issues to a certain extent. I always forget the term.

This doesn't apply to higher education, and there is argument over whether it applies to students over the age of majority, but there's definite precedent to this.

And there's really no reason for a student to have an active mobile phone in school unless it is for use directly before or directly after school or possibly during the lunch period.

Edit: I remember the term now "in loco parentis" which means: In the place of the parent.

We must train the children to understand that they don't actually have rights in this country.

For the first 18 years of their lives, we should subject all children to invasive searches, a totalitarian environment, and remove all expectations of privacy and free speech.

Children should not grow up in this country learning that they have private property, privacy, and free speech rights.

I agree with this up to a point. This is an example. I was the person to call if the school couldn't get ahold of my sister about her son. He is 15 years old. Toward the end of the school year he got caught texting during a test and had his cell phone taken and my sister was in the OR with the doc she works for so I had to go up. They gave me his cell phone and I read his texts. My nephew and and a group of friends were texting answers to the test back and forth, they were also planning on ditching the bus after school and going to one of the friends house. Now my sister had forbiddon my nephew to go to this friends house because of the friends fathers criminal record which had in the past been arrested for sexual abuse.

Needless to say I wanted to drag him out of the school by his ear. I did turn him in for cheating during a test and he was suspended but that was nothing to what was done when he got home. I called my sister and asked her what to do with his phone. She told me to take it and do what I wanted with it and that she would handle it when she got home. She left work immdeiatly.

I do not agree with the school taking a phone and reading the texts but I do think that if they are caught with it durning a test then they do need to know what is on the phone to stop cheating, call the parent or guardian and let them read it. Cheating isn't learning. If a parent lets their child take a cell phone to school then they have no reason to complain when it gets taken a away. And the children who take them without the parents knowing needs it taken away. In my nephews case he took it to school after my sister had told him NEVER to take it to school. He lost his phone for good and was told he could have another one when he bought it out of his own money and could also pay for the monthly bill. My sister told him that she was paying for the phone and the bill and that she wasn't paying all that money for him to cheat on a test or to disobey her and wind up getting hurt.

Knowing what your child is doing is your responsiablity. The school has no right to read what a child is texting, that should be left up to the parent or guardian. Period.

they dont really teach too much in public schools anyways.
i agree that they shouldnt have any right to read through students maessages. is it lik you dont have the same rights as the teachers until youre a legal adult? lik when i was in high school sometimes youd see the teachers texting, or getting a phone call. whats the difference?

reply to post by twinsmom


I think this was mentioned earlier, but in response to your example, back before cell phones, students would pass notes to cheat on tests and the teachers had the right to confiscate and read the notes.

Technology changed the method of cheating.

Why is it okay to read the note, but not the text message?

While students can perhaps expect limited privacy in school, it seems the teachers need to be able to do their jobs, and reading that text would be a necessary thing.

reply to post by DontTreadOnMe


Well, while I don't have a certain standing on this issue, going through texts is more invasive than reading a note. A note is literally just one thing, either to talk to a friend or to cheat. Texts, however, are stored and can reveal some very private things that an immature teacher may use against them.

Originally posted by Whereweheaded
And there lies the problem, teachers of have also been " dumbed down" into believing that they have a major roll to play...

Incorrect. The problem lies with parents who choose to coddle their children and refuse to cede authority to the school, during the appropriate time.

"Dumbed down" ? What is that supposed to mean? Since the establishment of an educational system, outside the home, the teacher was recognized by all to have a "major roll" in a student's formative years. Not just in regards to their education, but in their social skills, reasoning abilities and a sense of accomplishment, as well.

reply to post by WTFover


Wrong! The reason teachers don't have the authority, is due to the fact that the beloved politicians have interceded and taken it upon themselves to decided what is to be taught. Parents more often than not, send their children to school with the hopes of them gaining an education. How is one to teach, if the rules of authority are no longer there? If a teacher is teaching, shouldn't they be allowed to discipline the children within some type of standard? This said, this doesn't mean the teachers' should be permitted to violate a Constitutional Right. Period!

As for " dumbing down " our teachers, did you know most teachers in our nation aren't even qualified to teach. Here's an article the describes that lack of teaching ability within the mathematics.


source: articles.sfgate.com...

Here's a source that suggest's the current administration can allow the Fed's to establish "passing" credentials?
source: www.schoolsmatter.info...

Now be that it may these are only two examples, it shows that the politicians are taking it upon themselves to ultimately decide what criteria will be used. What happen to the Board of education establishing the curriculum? Yes there are parents who just " don't care " but for those of us who do, besides the obvious, behavior issues and discipline should be enforced and reinforced within the confines of a school.

reply to post by Whereweheaded


Okay

I wasn't aware the topic had changed. I thought the focus of the thread was disciplinary action and teachers viewing student's text messages.

As for a discussion on the many problems facing our public education system, I refer you to this post in an excellent thread.

This is merely groom the future populace that it is OK for a police officer or as they will be called in the future "peace officers" to seize and search your property as it will be all digital in the future.