Old School Crisis

Students were just getting ready for school, but weirdly, they…are not holding phones…? In fact, they had Walkmans, MP3 players, and anything but phones. Weird, isn’t it?

The cause of this weird phenomenon was due to a cell-phone ban that had occurred in school districts in New York City.[1] It seemed like a good idea to continue—until the teachers started confiscating them as well. [2] Turns out, in response to this new rule, some creative students had thought it would be pretty smart to bring in their MP3 players, seeing it as a “possible loophole.” Some got theirs online, while others received them from their parents. Probably because others had the same idea, because sure enough, that is what everyone brought to school soon after.

Such as Adaly Nolasco, age 17, has found an old MP3 player that had once belonged to her mother as a hand-me-down. She had decided the player did not seem as distracting as her cellphone did, so to give it a shot, she tried to load some songs into it, which seemed confusing at first, but eventually succeeded with the help of YouTube. “It’s definitely a good loophole,” she had said, “I hope they don’t ban this, too.” [3]

Of course, rules in different school districts vary, so some schools might permit this technology, while some do not. “Is it a distraction?” Mr. Bauman had asked.[4] It doesn’t have to be, but in that district, it is still banned. While in some other schools these types of devices  do not require Wi-Fi, they are greenlit to keep it. [5]

Overall, a simple ban is no match for the creativity of a student; even if cell phones were off-limits, it did not stop them from seeking anything to keep themselves entertained, literally, anything.

[1] Their Schools Banned Phones. Out Came the iPods and Cassette Players. – The New York Times

[2]Some students adjusting to new bell to bell cellphone ban in NYC schools, some finding ways to avoid policy – ABC7 New York

[3] Their Schools Banned Phones. Out Came the iPods and Cassette Players. – The New York Times

[4] Their Schools Banned Phones. Out Came the iPods and Cassette Players. – The New York Times