Submitted by Steven D., May 10, 2007 14:35

I am a parent of a District 2 lower school 11 year old. NYC does not provide yellow bus transportation for our children in middle school. In my case, my daughter will need to travel 75 blocks next year by MTA. We are talking about children who are not lawfully emancipated. Carrying a cell phone may not be a deterrent but it does help all of us in feeling secure. I expect a morning phone call outside the school's front gate letting me know my little girl has arrived okay - and I will remind her to turn the phone off. To expect the public to believe our City is so safe that younger students traveling to and from school do not need the security of a cell phone is irresponsible of the Mayor, the Chancellor and the Administration. As soon as we read the news of one of our children not being able to receive assistance because he or she did not have a cell phone, it is too late to reconsider for that family and negligent.

Our schools should be required to not only teach responsibility and respect for laws and rules which includes cell phone use, but to expect our children to conduct themselves as good citizens within the bounds of these laws and rules. Teachers should not be teaching our children that the acceptable remedy to the annoyingly uncontrolled and widespread obsession with using cell phones (and playstations) anywhere and anytime is to simply remove the liberty to use them. This is no different than Prohibition, the ban on books in Fahrenheit 451 and the ban on knitting needles and fingernail clippers on airlines.

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