Safety First

Today, as a student, I would like to applaud the City Council's decision to let students have their cell phones during the commute to and from school. I am glad that it has become clear to them that for us students, this is not a matter of convenience but a matter of safety.

Plainly, students should not be scared to go to school. Just as our School Safety Agents work every day to keep us safe inside, City policy should protect us outside the walls of the school building. A student should not have to be afraid that in the event of an emergency, they will be isolated and imperiled because they were forced to leave their cell phones at home.

Second, I want to point out that this is an issue that has really riled up the students of New York City. This is an issue that, in Spring 2006, brought together over 100 students at LaGuardia High School to say that they would not enter the building in the event of a random scan. This is an issue that brought students from schools in every borough to the New York City Student Union's first meeting, in September 2006, to say that it is time for students to have a say in the policies written about them.

Finally, and most importantly, this is an issue that keeps us students at a distance from our schools and our education. When students are asked, "What is wrong with the NYC education system today?" many of them will answer, "the cell phone ban." When faced with a rule that students feel is such a threat to their safety and security, students are likely to direct their fear and anger at the Department of Education and sadly, their own schools. This undermines all of the work that the Department of Education is doing to improve our schools.

Thank you City Council for voting against this threat to our safety and our education.