This week, we asked readers for their opinion on the recent decision by NYC Department of Education (DOE) to ban all cell phone access by students during the school day.

 

“I think its’s a good idea for kids not to be distracted by their cell phones while they’re trying to learn something in class and they should get used to it. I think that there are other ways to communicate with their parents through the school if there is some sort of emergency, and it’s not that important. It’s very important for kids to get an education.”

Dana Sloan,

Norwood

“I think it’s going to help the kids to develop and learn a lot better, and more, I think; that’s my opinion. Yes, there will be no distractions, yup, no influences in school, nothing. So, I think it’s good, I love it.”

Xhyliyah Grice,

Bedford Park

“It’s interesting. It’s like on one side you don’t want kids to have the cell phones because it’s such a distraction from the messaging to the social media. Of course, that’s going to be what they’re doing while they’re in class. But then, at the same time, you have so many crazy things happening today where you would want your teenage kids to have a phone and have some form of connection with their parents. You see school shootings happen across America. We’re going to have to evolve with this new age eventually.”

Sydney Reynolds,

Norwood

“You know they trash that [the ban], but how are you going to sit up there with a cell phone in your ear and the teacher is teaching. Where are they doing that? In kindergarten? In an emergency, the parents can call or go to the school.”

Alice Wolf,

Bedford Park

“That’s a good thing because when something is wrong with the kids, they need to go to the teachers and let them know what’s going on, and while they have their cell phones, they are always worrying about what’s going on on social media, so they need to concentrate more while they are in school. It’s a distraction.

They are following other kids and what they’re doing; that’s called peer pressure. I think it’s a good idea that the child comes to school and they put it away for a while.”

Paul King,

Norwood