Struggling Student's Parents Threaten Legal Action If Their Teacher Continues Taking Their Phone Away In Class
"Imagine if parents put as much effort into reading comprehension as they do defending their kids' cell phone addictions."
Robert Kneschke | Shutterstock After a new "no cell phone" policy was enacted at her school, a teacher admitted that she struggled to manage the technological distractions in her classroom.
In an attempt to mitigate the issue and refocus students' attention, the educator sent a reminder of the rule to all of the students' parents. However, the response from one parent in particular was shocking, to say the least.
Not only did she claim the school’s policy was this individual teacher’s vendetta against her son, but she also threatened "legal action" if his phone was ever confiscated.
The parent threatened 'legal action' if their son's teacher took his phone away during class.
"So, our school just enacted a total phone ban," this teacher wrote in a since-deleted Reddit post. "We have total admin support and we’re free to enforce it any way we see fit in our classrooms."
Drazen Zigic | Shutterstock
Considering the distractions that technology creates for students in modern classrooms, it makes sense that many schools are enacting regulations and bans on cell phone use. They consume students' lives and negatively impact everything from their reading and writing comprehension to their attention spans and mental health.
However, this parent didn't think that her child was part of "the problem”" and wrote emails to all of his teachers reminding them of her expectations regarding the school-wide ban.
Despite her son struggling academically, the parent passionately defended his cell phone use.
"I must reiterate that I WILL NOT have some teachers take away my child's phone. It is theirs and you are not permitted to take it," the parent wrote in an email. "If I receive notice that their phone was taken, you will be hearing from my legal team."
Degrading the teachers and underestimating the importance of the ban, the mom added that "mere teachers" aren't permitted to overstep by taking her son's phone.
While many readers speculated that this mother was entirely ignorant of her son's classroom behavior, this poster assuredly proved it.
"This is a sophomore with the reading and writing level of a 2nd grader," the teacher explained. "They are only capable of writing two sentences."
So, no — it's not just an issue of a student’s "property," but the future of their educational career and success. Many commenters condemned this parent's priorities as phones provide a distraction, one that is evidently detrimental to their ability to focus and learn.
Classroom phone bans have been shown to be beneficial to student success.
According to the Pew Research Center, "72% of high school teachers say students being distracted by their cellphones in the classroom is a major problem."
Clearly, it is an issue that needs to be addressed, and phone bans are the most obvious solution.
Evidence suggests that school-wide cell phone bans are worth the occasional outrage from parents and students.
Florida schools have already noticed positive shifts in student performance and behavior following a cell phone ban in schools last year — with decreased bullying and higher grade averages.
"Cell phones are just like cars and a driver's license; they are a privilege, not a right. If it is a distraction, it needs to be addressed," one teacher summarized.
"Parents need to understand that the phones aren't helping their child learn. Yes, they are an important safety tool... that should be used when appropriate; not to check social media or play games."
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a News & Entertainment Writer at YourTango who focuses on health & wellness, social policy, and human interest stories