New York City Public schools have been battling a ban on cell phones since 2005.  Entering a new chapter of that controversy, the state Appellate Court has ruled that the Department of Education has the right to enforce the ban. Students, parents, the city council and the teachers union will continue to try to win back the mobile phones.

The Court stated, "The Chancellor reasonably determined that a ban on cell phone possession was necessary to maintain order in the schools." Furthermore, said Justice Angela Mazzarelli in reference to movie theaters' standard announcements for cell phone use, "If adults cannot be fully trusted to practice proper cell phone etiquette, then neither can children."

Parents primarily want to be able to reach their children during the school day. Cell phones are also viewed by many as a safety tool, particularly in light of school shootings.

An opinion piece in TechNews World, however, points out that a cell phone ban is also a missed learning opportunity. As cell phones converge with mobile computing, they provide affordable entry to 1:1 computing programs. We must, explains the editorial, find policies that make it possible to maintain order when students have cell phones and develop them as a learning tool.

Sources: New York Times, Court Upholds School Cell Phone Ban; New York Daily News, Appeals court upholds city's school-wide cell phone ban; TechNews World, Think Before You Ban: A Handheld Is a Powerful Learning Tool.