Privacy in Schools

[emeraldrafael]

If theres a rule stating no phones in school then you're legally allowed to confiscate them all en mass. you cant damage the property or go through messages though, (since both of those are separate crimes), but you can collect en mass. I had a teacher who did that. you walked in, put your phone in a box, and if you didnt he told you to leave and face teh truancy officer. If you refused to leave he just called the school officer to make you turn over your phone or escort you to the principal to explain why you were decided to be a disruptance to the other students educations.

Though raelly if you're gonna just roll over and let them, then theres no real right to complain. And if you dont want it happening, leave your phone in your locker. there's no reason to have one in clas that cant be solved with a simple four function calculator and a watch.

Off-T, I just saw my name in the captcha. Albeit my first name, but still.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

furthermore, punishing an entire group for the action of one individual is just plain idiotic as well. Credit should be given where due.

Actually, punishing a group for the actions of one is a pretty often used re-training method. The idea behind it being the individual's rely on the support of the rest of the group to get through whatever is going on. By punishing the whole group, that individual must decide between risking being alienated from the group or having a little moral fortitude and owning up to the wrong doing.

But that doesn't work. The sorts of people who cause a group to be punished are the sorts of people who don't care or sometimes even think it's funny that everyone else got in trouble.

 

[isometry]

The school is asinine for banning cell phones in the first place, and confiscating everyone's phone is completely unacceptable.

We need laws in place to stop power tripping school administrators and protect students. Although the 4th amendment (US) does not apply to minors in public school, the school should be ashamed for violating the students privacy, over nothing important. No one was in danger. No property was at risk.

The fact is, many teachers and administrators at public schools are not normal adults, instead they are effectively weirdos who never grew up. Normal people do not over-react so badly to a cell phone and they believe in treating people as if they have rights.

 

[Browncoat86]

My advice to you would be, the next time this happens, refuse to give up the phone. As far as I know in both North America and the UK teachers and school officials aren't allowed to make physical contact with you, so if you just flat out say no there isn't anything that they can really do other than hand out a detention or attempt to make you go to the office and have your folks come in.

 

[torzath]

I dislike how many people in this thread just went, "Well, don't bring your phone, then." when this is a pretty big privacy issue if it's true.

Also, it's just ridiculous that they can take your stuff.

 

[DarthSka]

Schools can be really weird when it comes to cell phones. My senior year in high school, one teacher of mine needed a student to text something for her and told him to do it behind a marker board so she wouldn't see him do it. I know there's such a thing as plausible deniability, but that was just ridiculous. As for group punishment, that's another ***** to deal with. Hell, I just learned that my entire dorm floor could be charged 20 bucks a week for the idiocy of a couple of people. You gotta find a way to fight it.

 

[Fatboy_41]

furthermore, punishing an entire group for the action of one individual is just plain idiotic as well. Credit should be given where due.

Actually, punishing a group for the actions of one is a pretty often used re-training method. The idea behind it being the individual's rely on the support of the rest of the group to get through whatever is going on. By punishing the whole group, that individual must decide between risking being alienated from the group or having a little moral fortitude and owning up to the wrong doing.

But that doesn't work. The sorts of people who cause a group to be punished are the sorts of people who don't care or sometimes even think it's funny that everyone else got in trouble.

It works very well when done correctly. As I said, the intention is to cause the group to turn against the individual. And believe me, this will happen given enough time. Just look at this thread. TS is obviously pissed off about how things have panned out here and would prefer no one else gave reason for it to happen again. Now, I don't condone the school going as far as accessing the content on the phones due to the privacy issues involved, but I see no issue at all with confiscation. I'm sure TS and fellow students would still get pretty pissed off if their phones were confiscated every other day.

I'm not saying it will work in every instance, but to call the tactic idiotic is, in itself, idiotic.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Dumb of you, but VERY wrong of them.

There is only one clear path: [strike/]Molotov the school[/S] Bring this to your parents attention.

At this point, if you are honest about breaking the rule, I'm sure the parents will be reasonable enough to talk to the school and have something done.

 

[sinterklaas]

Err, just object to it and don't give them your phone?

They can't just take your phone, you should report them to the police for stealing.

 

[standokan]

They are definetly breaking some kind of privacy rule in my book, I mean, they have a right to take your phone but going through the messages is crossing the line.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

furthermore, punishing an entire group for the action of one individual is just plain idiotic as well. Credit should be given where due.

Actually, punishing a group for the actions of one is a pretty often used re-training method. The idea behind it being the individual's rely on the support of the rest of the group to get through whatever is going on. By punishing the whole group, that individual must decide between risking being alienated from the group or having a little moral fortitude and owning up to the wrong doing.

But that doesn't work. The sorts of people who cause a group to be punished are the sorts of people who don't care or sometimes even think it's funny that everyone else got in trouble.

It works very well when done correctly. As I said, the intention is to cause the group to turn against the individual. And believe me, this will happen given enough time. Just look at this thread. TS is obviously pissed off about how things have panned out here and would prefer no one else gave reason for it to happen again. Now, I don't condone the school going as far as accessing the content on the phones due to the privacy issues involved, but I see no issue at all with confiscation. I'm sure TS and fellow students would still get pretty pissed off if their phones were confiscated every other day.

I'm not saying it will work in every instance, but to call the tactic idiotic is, in itself, idiotic.

And I'm saying I've never seen it work. Every single time I've seen a teacher try that all that's happened is that the person who should've gotten in trouble by themselves just laughs about it and makes fun of all the people who didn't do anything wrong, but got punished anyway. The people who fuck around don't give a shit, and will do whatever they can to annoy everyone else.

Also, no teacher's intention should ever be to turn a group against an individual. It is their responsibility to dispense discipline, not the students. Any teacher that tries to get the students to do their job for them isn't a good teach.

 

[Trippy Turtle]

I say I don't have a phone which a lot of the time I don't. If a teacher tries to take my stuff I just say no and get a detention because I find a detention better then losing something I own. With the exception of phones teachers at my school take our stuff forever.
And they still think we are being unfair when we mess with their laptops.

snip

It happens all the time to me and I just get very annoyed at the teacher. The person that got into trouble I love just for annoying the teacher that would be this annoying.

 

[gkid87]

If you live in the US, contact the ACLU. And tell some local newspapers and such.

Frankly, this is pretty dang hard to believe. If this is a US public school, it's absolutely illegal and would be stopped almost immediately after it gets out into the news, barring an inner-city school or something. I know nothing of non-US schools or private schools, though.

in a us public school they can go through your stuff simply because u may r may not at some point have countryband on u we had a least 3 a semster was totaly bullshit but there is nothing u can do about it and it is not agaist the law since they are 'keeping us safe"

 

[Flames66]

So I ask you Escapist, how do you feel about school privacy?

I feel you are pretty stupid to not have a password on your phone.

I also feel its pretty stupid to bring your phone to school if its not allowed.

I should have added that they get past the password on your phone.

And how exactly do they get past the password on your phone?

No idea, and that's what bugs me the most. I have no idea how, but they can. Because they'll tell you exactly when you sent/recieved a message. With a password, or without a password.

Do not allow them to take your phone, make your facebook friends only and next time they tell anyone what their messages were have them say that it is an invasion of their privacy and they will take legal action.

 

[Lazier Than Thou]

How about you just dont take your phone to school? You are there to learn. Not to fucking socialise.
So if your phone is not at school then they cant go through your shit. Easy fix.

Not actually true. Many people against homeschooling say that it's important for people to go to public schools so they do just that; socialize.

I do agree with the phone not being needed and should be left in a locker or at home.

 

[Monkeyman O'Brien]

Not actually true. Many people against homeschooling say that it's important for people to go to public schools so they do just that; socialize.

I do agree with the phone not being needed and should be left in a locker or at home.

True however that is out of the classroom. In class your main goal is not to socialise.
And ultimately the purpose of school, everything from the classes to the school yard socialising is to teach kids how to behave in society.
Thats why I get annoyed when people complain about schools having uniforms or not allowing phones in class. Most jobs make you wear a uniform of one sort or another (a friend of mine is a lawyer, his uniform just so happens to be a suit but its a uniform regardless) and using a cell phone for personal calls in your job will more than likely get you fired.

 

[Fatboy_41]

It is their responsibility to dispense discipline

No, it is their responsibility to teach. If you're at an age where you own a mobile and take it to school, then you're at an age to know rules and punishments. One of the major arguments for slipping education standards is the fact the teachers are no longer teachers. They're babysitters. If you go into class, fuck about and then laugh at the guy getting you all in to trouble, you really shouldn't be expecting sympathy.

 

[Rhaff]

Wow. That's pretty strict.
I'd be surprised if it wasn't illegal to go through your private material though.

I'm glad my school isn't that strict. The standard response to a ringing phone around here is to laugh at the person for forgetting to set it to vibrate.

At my old school, you had to bring cake the next day if your phone went off in class, but most of us just walked out of the class room and took the call

 

[Lazier Than Thou]

Not actually true. Many people against homeschooling say that it's important for people to go to public schools so they do just that; socialize.

I do agree with the phone not being needed and should be left in a locker or at home.

True however that is out of the classroom. In class your main goal is not to socialise.
And ultimately the purpose of school, everything from the classes to the school yard socialising is to teach kids how to behave in society.
Thats why I get annoyed when people complain about schools having uniforms or not allowing phones in class. Most jobs make you wear a uniform of one sort or another (a friend of mine is a lawyer, his uniform just so happens to be a suit but its a uniform regardless) and using a cell phone for personal calls in your job will more than likely get you fired.

You make a compelling point about uniforms. Never actually heard that before. Everyone always seems to frame it like they're trying to stamp out individuality or some such.

 

[Sgt Doom]

At least here in Finland, it is blatantly illegal for a person who otherwise has the right to confiscate your phone temporarily to go through any of your personal data. One corporal in my unit nearly got done in for doing exactly that when he confiscated someone's phone and started going through the guy's text messages. I would've thought the law would be similar in most countries.