Another day, another story about a school board banning camera phones. The Turlock, Calif. school board yesterday voted to ban camera phones in high schools, according to an article in the Turlock Journal. The student body president also favored the ban.
The quotes in the paper by John Sims, president of the Turlock Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees, are interesting: "I'm pleased that we’re trying to get ahead of the technological curve with measures like this to protect our students and staff.
"I’m afraid that a day may come when you can no longer get a cell phone without a camera, but that day is still in the future and I think we’re taking appropriate measures for the time being.”
A man of the Middle Ages
So, let me get this straight. The school board is getting "ahead" of technology by banning it? He's also afraid of the day when all cellular phones might come with cameras. I guess if/when that day comes, Sims will be standing outside with a wooden mallet to smash the phones.
I wonder if the reporter of the article tried to interview other, more enlightened peoeple. Did he try to contact any cellular operators, technology analysts, college professors, etc. Indeed, I wonder how much testimony was presented at the school board hearing.
Glasglow bans camera phones
Just for good measure I thought I'd include a link to another camera phone banning: All the schools in Glasgow, Scotland. The ban actually was implemented "discretely" in January, but just recently revealed.
Did the Glasgow school board not want to risk someone with an I.Q. higher than a snail coming forward to present an opposing view?
According to the article in the Evening Times, all cellular phones, not just camera phones, are banned. What's the fear? Primarily, it appears, pedophiles.
Beware child molesters
The article quotes David Eaglesham, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association, who says, "It is a serious problem because it is a whole new dimension of technology. It is possible for kids to use them in the shape of bullying but more sinister than that they could be used by paedophiles."
I don't want to make light of pedophilia and child abuse. It's a serious issue. But, please, you ban camera phones from schools because of pedophiles? It's simply not justified. Fear, not inteligence, is ruling these type of decisions.
Bad news for parents
The decision in Scotland is "bad news for parents who want to stay in touch with their kids," says an article in Silcon.com, technology news site in the U.K.
Parents who want their children to have cellular phones -- and have previously bought them a camera phone -- now have to buy another phone without a camera, the article notes.
Debbie Allen, a mother of two children, offered a suggestion for parents who are faced with the prospect of purchasing another cellular phone: "I'd tell the school to shove it unless they are going to fund it."
Wake up cellular industry!
While schools continue to ban camera phones, the cellular industry appears to ignore the issue. Hey, cellular operators and handset vendors -- wake up!
Why not create some documents for schools (as well as health clubs, corporations, local governments, etc.) that discuss the pros and cons of camera phones, especially emphasizing their value for specific applications?
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