July 24, 2025 • 29 mins
New York is officially joining other states and school districts, banning students K through 12 from having access to their smart phones while in school. Amy and T.J. discuss how they feel as parents, having covered many worst case scenarios inside schools, while recognizing the frustration of educators. Does the need to prevent distraction, cheating and bullying outweigh potential safety issues, and is there another way to police and enforce smartphone use in classrooms?
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey, folks, It's Thursday, July the twenty fourth, and it's
kind of a parent's worst case scenario. You're at home,
turn on the TV and you see a breaking news
alert that something's going on at your child's school, maybe
even a potential school shooter. So what's the first thing
you want to do is certainly run to that school,
(00:23):
or you certainly want to pick up your phone and
contact your child. But what if the school has taken
the phones from all the children, none of them can
call to report an emergency, and you, the parent, cannot
get a hold of your child. Welcome to Amy and TJ.
I describe their robes. Really the nightmare scenario for a parent.
(00:46):
But we're talking about this because New York City is
now the largest city in the country. They have just
officially said that all public schools there will be a
bell to bell, ban on sell phones, educator's robes. Seed
to love it parents.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
You know, this has been a topic of conversation in
our house because Sabine School started this policy when this.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Entire school year, so her first year in middle school
here in New York, sixth grade, they took him away
as this was this school decided to do it on
their own ahead of time. And I was pissed then.
I'm more pissed now.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Look, I think, especially given what we do, we're more,
perhaps even keenly aware of what can go wrong. How
many school shootings have we covered, have we gone to?
And it is something that is always in the back
of every parent's mind, and that can happen anywhere, at
any point, at any school. And if you cannot reach
(01:49):
your child directly, or maybe even more importantly, if your
child cannot.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Reach you, your.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Child cannot call nine one one, your child cannot get help.
That cell phone is a lifeline in so many ways.
I remember when my youngest turned twelve and I knew
she was getting on a bus by herself, and I
knew I got her a phone. I didn't want to
get her a phone really for all the other reasons,
but I.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Knew that that could be a lifeline.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
And especially here in New York City, we have bigger
challenges and bigger concerns. Maybe Chicago, there are a couple
other big cities that might have the same thing. But
when our kids are at school, they are not in
a community in a suburb with school crossing guards. We
are in the middle of a city that is a
(02:34):
constant terror target, and there are so many things going
on in the streets of New York people getting in
and out of schools. To think that our kids can't
contact us or can't contact help if there's a chaotic situation,
a scary, unforeseen situation that is frightening as a parent.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
So let's talk about, though, the other side. I say
the other side, given that I know what side I'm on.
And let's be clear here, robarc and I are dipping
into not dipping into politics. We are not taking any
issue with the bill that was passed in New York
and Governor Hochal sign that included this statewide. They're going
to start doing this the entire state school dissues are
required to do this New York City and the mayor
(03:15):
just officially stated, i think late last night in a
tweet that yes, we will be banning all cell phones
and all was sixteen hundred public schools here in New York.
I believe it is the logic there, and it sounds,
is it not. They want to avoid distractions for the
kids when they're in the classroom. You can't argue with that, though,
(03:38):
can you.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
They don't want distractions of the scrolling. There's also issues
with cheating when you have cell phones. There's also issues
with bullying. You know, you've got these kids walking, you know,
even in between classes in the hall, there could be
recording that shouldn't be going on and social media posts
that shouldn't be happening. That causes a lot of problems,
a lot of mental distress for a lot of kids.
(03:59):
That all absolutely makes sense to me, And yet you
have to weigh those concerns from education to even mental
health with physical and emergency situations. Now I know that
they say, hey, the teachers all have their cell phones,
so if anything goes wrong, the teacher can contact help,
get help. And if you, the parent, need to get
(04:21):
in touch with your child, you can call the school
office old school like we did when we were kids.
But we are living in very different times than we
were when you and I were kids, And.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
I think the I think that's a good aim, right,
that should be the goal. We want to cut down
and distract distractions. We don't want kids using their cell
phones during class time. Nobody's arguing with that.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Not an argument at all, only.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Argument, and the thing that really drove me crazy this year.
Why are we not trying some other method? Is there
not something else we can do in the school to
give them still be able to in an emergency, or
if it's the parent or whatever, give them a access
to the phone. And I need to make this clear.
What's happening, what we're talking about. Sabine School and several
(05:06):
others here in New York are using these pouches the kids.
Each kid gets an individual pouch. They put their phone
in the pouch when they walk into the school, and
then the pouch is locked using a special magnet. The
kid then has no way to open it on their own,
so they're responsible. They can keep it on them or
they can put it in their locker, but it doesn't
(05:26):
matter if you can keep it on you because you
don't have access to it. So that is the method
that they're using, and it's driving me absolutely benev.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Right because even once the bell rings and Sabine's leaving school,
she has to then get in line and wait for
her pouch to be demagnetized to get.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Her cell phone out.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
That is a process that they've streamlined at the end
of school. But what if there was an emergency, What
if worst case scenario there was a school shooter, what
if someone dangerous got into the school, any type of
scenario like that. Do you really think there's going to
be some orderly line where someone's going to individually demagnetize
these pouches?
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Now, you know, My thought was, I don't even know.
Can you bring scissors into school?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Because if you had to, you could cut open this
is a plastic pouch, correct, So if you had a
pair of scissors in case of an emergency, you could
cut it out.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
But like when you are scrambling, when there is.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Fond the scissors, really.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Exactly, it's it's another step that could really, honestly, at
some point could be the difference between life.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Or death and Sabine School. The law at least gives
schools their own some autonomy and coming up with how
they're going to implement a policy. All of them don't
have to use these pouches. But Sabine School, she was
explained to me this morning, they have a magnet that's
assigned to each of their homerooms, if you will. But
(06:51):
it's outside on the wall, and to get to it,
a teacher has to use their key to unlock it.
That's a lot of steps in an emergency, a lot
of staies. Okay, so this happened with Sabina and you know,
you just know, and we got off the phone. We
just got off the phone with my parents, both educators.
Mama retired to the elementary school teacher. My dad was
my high school principal. Yes, that was a good time,
(07:13):
but he still works for the school district now. Both
of them as educators said, we're for it.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
And that makes sense because as a teacher, yes, you're
trying to It's already hard enough to connect to your
students if they're sneaking a phone, and these kids are sneaky,
they know how to do it, they know where to
put it. It's on vibrate, they're not going to be ringing,
and they can have it somewhere where they're not paying attention,
they're not learning, and they also could be using it
to cheat without a doubt, And so that's frustrating for teachers.
(07:40):
That's got to be incredibly difficult. And I can understand
why they're done with cell phones in the classroom, But
I was even thinking, couldn't you, and you've talked about this,
couldn't you just have a collection box when they come
in too each room say cell phones here, or you
even said when people hang you know when you've tried
the shoe, it's.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
The closet's a shoe organizer.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Yeah, you rack. And so it was like a plastic
little compartment for each shoe. You could make sure each
each kid has a has a sign number and then
you know that their cell phones in there.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
So done, period, Why can't we.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Use another Why can't we try another option? And I
know they talk about the bullying and that's a real thing.
If kids are using their phones, even not in the
class but at recess.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
That can happen at home though too.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Well, you know, bullying can happen at any point during
the day, not just at school.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Something you speak on just phrase you love using that.
We too many parents are often trying to prepare the
road for the child instead of prepare the child for
the road. Part of life in an understanding is following rules,
know that they have consequences, consequences. It's discipline. It's being
(08:53):
able to almost regulate yourself, to be able to self monitor,
to be able to be smart enough to have the
restraint to not use it. What are we learning if
I'm telling kids who are in their formative years. You're
talking about six, seven, eight, nineteen. If we're telling them,
you know what, we don't trust you. You're not trustworthy enough,
(09:16):
you're not.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Capable, you're not capable of following.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Rules, and you're not dedicated enough to your work during
the day. My daughter's not gonna use a cell phone.
I just know she's not. And there are plenty of
kids who don't need to be policed like this. Plenty
need to be policed in a way, but this reminded
me of that. It seemed like we as a society
are taking any responsibility for discipline out of the classroom.
I know they supposed to just teach, but to say, hey,
(09:41):
if you do that, you're gonna end up in detention. Hey,
if you do this, these are the consequences. Now we're
just saying, take it all from you, because you can't
do it on your own, You can't be trusted. Is
there not some lesson in there we should be trying
to teach.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, so to your point, and I am so agreeing
with you, because isn't this just another example of a
problem we have in this country period where we may
have a law but we if we police it, okay,
but we don't enforce it. And so here's the deal.
The obviously there is a policy in place in every
school your phones cannot be used or be out while
(10:17):
you're in the classroom period. So if you then don't
enforce that law, then kids are gonna do whatever they want. Well,
not everyone, Like you said, my kids are rule followers
for the most part.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
I know Sabine is too. But so the rule breakers.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Why because they are breaking the rules and they haven't
been punished or there haven't been consequences, or they haven't
been policed, or it hasn't been enforced. Why do those
few kids spoil it for everybody and now create a
situation in which a lot of parents who have kids
who would use their phone correctly and would not use
it when they shouldn't. Why should they not be able
(10:52):
to be in contact with their child or at least
know that that child has a lifeline if the worst
case scenario happened. I think that's really frustrating to a
lot of parents because yes, I was raised that way,
you were raised that way. Here's the rule, and if
you don't follow it, here's the consequence. I will be
watching you, and if you break the rule, there are
consequences to pay. Now, my mother also was a teacher
(11:15):
and an educator. I have aunts and uncles who were educators,
and the biggest issue that they complained about, and I
just heard your mom say the same thing. Teachers aren't supported.
Teachers aren't supported by their principles oftentimes or by the
school system. And parents will undermine teachers. If you punish
a child, if you say, hey, kid had a cell
phone out in class, or your kid was talking in class,
(11:36):
the parent will come in and say, no, they didn't,
and you can't punish them. And so so much power
has been taken away from teachers, and so they're probably
just like, you know what, great, this solves all my issues.
I'll be supported because no one can have their phone.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Here's my problem. And I have to keep saying this
ropes to what you're saying and to what we have
been saying here. Please do not think we are dipping
our toe into any political issue. This is not us
taking issue or taking a stance publicly against what Kathy
Hokel has done, against what Mayor Adams has now done.
Governor Hokele has now done, No Mayor Adams has done
(12:15):
or what Sabine's. Our issue is not with the legislation.
Our issue is not with wanting to get cell phones out.
We are not taking that stance. We are taking stances
as parents. We're speaking here as parents, and as parents,
you could be very unnerved by what's happening. I am
speaking as a parent now when I say I am
(12:36):
so against my child in New York City not having
access to a cell phone for eight hours, that she's
out of my sight. That when you say that, who,
no nobody lets their child go for eight hours without
being in contact anybody in the sixth seventh grade, You're
just not And I just wish there could have been
(12:59):
a little more thought on that, a little more engagement.
I just wish there could have been something else come
up with all these scenarios. I saw some other schools
have different scenarios that are better. It's just you feel
helpless in robes. There have been at least two incidents
since she's been fourth third fourth grade where they had
(13:20):
lockdown at school because somebody entered the building that they
don't know who the hell it is. Now. Things ended
up working out, but it's happened in this city too.
My child at her school, somebody walking around that shouldn't
have been in the school. Okay, hope your teacher is
nearby with the key so that they can unlock the
damn other key to unlock your pouch, so that now
(13:43):
I could know my kid is okay.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
It happened at my daughter's school as well, where they
had someone come into the building who shouldn't and wasn't
supposed to be there, and it was frightening and they
went into lockdown too. Now this is New York City,
I don't know. But the thing is, this is happening
all across the country. This cell phone ban, this bell,
de bell, no cell phone. This is sweeping the country.
(14:07):
This is going to come. If it isn't in your state,
now get ready. It probably is coming.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
But folks, would you believe there are some even in
law enforcement, who say that the kid having the cell
phone with him in school might be even more dangerous
in an emergency. All right, folks, Continuing are a very
(14:35):
personal and passionate discussion about the New York City Mayor
Eric Adams making it official, made the announcement yesterday late
that New York City will be following the state mandate
which says that public school students should not have their
cell phones on them during the school year. This starts
next school year twenty twenty five. Or if they call it,
what bell to Bell policy.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, it's a distraction free school's law or bell to
Bell's smartphone restrictions from kindergarten all the way up to
seniors in high school. That is wild to me that
that entire school age from four to eighteen, you cannot
have access to your cell phone for eight hours a
(15:19):
day during the school week.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
No matter what.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
They're supposed to have. The legislation says they're supposed to
have aged school supposed to have something in place that
allows the kids to call in some way. But even
Sabine is telling me they would have to tell the
teacher they when they have to go to the office
to make a call, or you have to have an
emergency and the teacher has to unlock the case they're
supposed to be away in an emergency. Would have to
(15:43):
be an extreme case they can't call you because they
are out of money for a out lunch or something.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Yeah, and I'm thinking about even high school students who
not only have their cell phones a lot of them
have iPads, they have smart watches. All of that is
under the same rule no smart watches, So you can't
have your Apple Watch on you even if you like
to count your steps too bad, So sad can't happen.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
But I think that can get the internet Internet with it.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Exactly, so you know, look, this kind of makes you
want to give if you gave your child a flip phone,
would she be able to bring that? I mean that
that would maybe be the backup plan for a parent,
but not everybody can afford that.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Obviously.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Now you have to have a whole other cell phone plan.
I mean that just seems silly. But would that make
it okay if you had a flip phone.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
I wonder if there's an exception for that. I'm going
to look into that. I assume they thought of that.
But you make a good point. It's not a matter
of the Internet. There just have a phone that a
kid can you can get in contact.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
And that's all we're talking about.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
We don't I don't want my child on the Internet
distracted doing things they shouldn't be doing, when they should
be learning, when they should be paying attention, when they
should be engaging. They also point to this social issue.
They say that kids aren't interacting with each other, and
so they really believe by having this cell phone fan
that it's going to force kids to sit across from
(17:00):
each other at lunch and talk to each other instead
of having their heads down. Now, look, we do see
even just families on vacation. For a family four, a
family five, every single one of them, no one's talking
to each other.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
Every single person is on the cell phone.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
And when you sit there, like, just take a second
look at lunch, Look when you're on vacation this summer,
look and see how families operate. It's really sad. We're
all guilty of it here and there, but we all
get addicted. So I like the idea because it's a
huge problem with our kids.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
They are socially awkward.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
They don't know how to have conversations without hey, let
me look that up, or did you see what's on
TikTok or making TikTok videos in the cafeteria, all of that.
I am so for personal one on one conversations, face
to face engagement, but they're just there has to be
a better way than locking your phone up with zero
(17:52):
access to it. If you need it in a moment's notice.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
And I think we're I think we've been clear, but
let's say it even clearer. We absolutely we think not
a single kid should be using the phone in class
at all, all day period period. Should not. And you
know what, I would even be in favor of banning
the use of the cell phones in the cafeteria. Fine,
(18:15):
put the signs up everywhere, monitor the kids. Let there
be consequences. Loo he got his phone taken away and
he got attention. I don't want that to happen to me.
It'll take two weeks in behavior will change. Fine, they
don't want to have to monitor. What we're saying here
is we're in favor of kids not using phones. We're
just not in favor of the phones being taken away
(18:36):
and access to them by their parents being taken away.
I'm not gonna message my kid in the middle of class,
that's not what we're talking about. But if she goes
out to lunch, or if she does have an emergency,
this is only an emergency tool, period, That's what I'm
talking about, And we're taking a tool away. And in
a city like New York. I was upset when they
first implemented it, and I know you'll remember that when
(18:58):
I really went over the top and got it upset.
Is because they had a I think it was a
fire drill some of the for a couple of days.
It's hard for a lot of people around the country
to imagine the school you went to. Right there was
a playground outside, maybe even a parking lot. Over here,
you had a school campus. My child attends school on
the sixth and seventh floor of a high rise in
(19:22):
Lower Manhattan. That's a different experience. So she had a
fire drill, she has to come down. They're not just
outside on the lawn like you and I were as kids.
They're literally on the New York City street. The whole school,
the campus of children is standing on the street being
monitored by a handful adults. Car could come by hit
(19:47):
a kid, motorcycle. We got freaking scooters everywhere, You got bikes,
you got how many times if we had just a
manhole cover blow off here in New York and the
whole city shuts down. Because we're wondering if it was
a terrorist attack, Those things happen. If that happens and
my kid is on the street, she has no way
imagine the chaos you've been here Robes when there's some
(20:09):
emergency on the subway and everybody in the city is
doing what scrambling to find their loved ones. Are you okay?
Are you okay? Just checking? Where are you? We've all
been through that drill. You're taking that away.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Yes, and you know my kids are now in college
or even graduated from college. But I still remember feeling
safer and better knowing, especially if I was at work
and busy, knowing that they could get a hold of
me at any moment. Now I know they're saying, all
you have to do is ask a teacher. All you
have to do is go to the front office. Well,
that would be wonderful if it's something that allows for that.
(20:43):
There's enough time to do that, there's enough thought behind that.
But we all know in an emergency, all bets are off.
People are frantic, they aren't thinking clearly or critically, and
especially a kid, they don't have those skills and they
want to be able to reach out to their parents.
I'm even thinking, like, if something embarrassing happens, I'm gonna
say this. If your child gets her period and that happened,
(21:07):
that was a real thing that happened in the middle
of school. She might be too embarrassed to go talk
to the teacher or to like just to be able
to have that lifeline, to be able to reach out
to your mom and dad maybe in between classes and
say help, this is happening.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Can you come? You know I need you? And maybe
they don't feel comfortable going.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
There's just a lot of different reasons why having that
access to your child and for your child to have
that access to you makes sense. Now again, yes, we
are all about those. It just seems like there could
be another place to put the cell phones, another way
to store the cell phones where they're easily accessed but
clearly policed. And look, I'm also curious and this is
(21:44):
what maybe educators would say to us. You say we
should police kids using their cell phones and there should
be consequences.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Our schools.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Are teachers able to actually provide real consequences without parents
and pushing back? Can they take someone's cell phone? Can
they could? If that person broke the policy multiple times?
Could they they then be banned from using their cell
phone or having a cell.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
Phone at all?
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Good? And you should make an example out of that
knucklehead on day one. Give it two weeks of actually monitoring,
Give it two weeks of enforcing your policy of no
cell phones in the school. And I just and I
know they're educators who are thinking differently. I'd say, you
don't teach. You ain't been in my classroom. That I respect,
and I get that is not my argument in the
(22:32):
least bit, But there are And you know what, we
were on the phone just before we started with my dad.
We were late recording because he was talking awful lot
about this, but he finally drove it home for me.
He goes again, my high school principal. He's now still
with the superintendent's office there in my hometown, but he's
(22:53):
going in ro You heard him at the beginning, and
you were maybe surprised, we both were. He's like, hell, yeah,
all four doing that here in Arkansas. You can't police
this stuff. These kids are crazy, they're slick, they can
absolutely sneak. Nothing you can do about this is an
educator of fifty.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Years, and he was talking about cheating and bullying. Really
those were the two big things, and distraction, but those
were all things. And I hadn't even thought about the
bullying part of it. And the cheating part obviously makes
a lot of sense as well. But yeah, he said,
as principal, I'm all for it, but as.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
A parent, I'm not. And I think that's it.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
He even said as a grandparent to Sabine, Yeah, thinking
about her in a New York City school without her
cell phone, I don't like that. So you can actually
support it. Yeah, you could support the band as an
educator and be against the band as a parent, and
both of them makes sense.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
He split when he said it. It finally brought it
home to us, and Okay, we get it now. He
himself is for it and against it, depending on which
role he's playing. Is he an educator or is he
Sabine's granddad, And he saw it two different ways. Was
so fascinating to me. The last thing here, and this
is law enforcement, and you have to lean on them.
(24:07):
They know what they're talking about, and I have to
believe that they believe what they're saying, which is that
they could do more harm during an emergency, because if
all the kids have their cell phones during an emergency,
instead of listening to the instructions of the teacher or
the person who's trying to get them to safety, maybe
they'd be looking down at the phone, Maybe they'd be
trying to call their parents and not paying attention to
(24:29):
those instructions. That does, I suppose, in theory makes sense.
It does doesn't make me feel any dotter.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Look, I mean, in certain scenarios, in certain situations, I
can absolutely see how that would be the case. You
would want your students focused on whoever is leading them
away from harm and towards safety. That absolutely makes sense.
But we both know that so often when the worst
case scenario happens, you're talking about hiding, you're talking about
(24:57):
needing help, you're talking about children. I mean, I know,
God Uvaldi, one of those kids was able to call
nine one one, and some lives were saved because police
were able to get there quicker. But there's a mad
scramble when these things happen. People aren't following orders, and
there isn't order, and there isn't let's go here. I
(25:19):
mean sure, in some cases I'm a fire something like that, Yes,
But if you've got an active shooter, if you've.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
Got someone in that building who shouldn't be there.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
And people are afraid, and you are hiding for your life,
and you need to alert and who knows, in those
chaotic moments, the teacher might not even have her phone.
It might be in her person they've run into a closet.
Whoever has their phone can call for help. And certainly
this stood out to me with what happened in Texas.
I know this might seem like a stretch, but this
(25:48):
thought came into my head about Sabine's school and now
that this has become a statewide issue and mandate those
kids at that summer camp, and my kids went to
summer camp and their phones were taken from them, but
they didn't have their cell phones there when those alerts
were coming over their phones when there was an urgent
message from the National Weather Service, you are in a
(26:10):
flood zone and there is true you know there is
massive flooding.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Headed your way.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
If those kids at that camp, at that all girls
Christian sleepaway camp, if they had their phone, someone's phone
would have gone off, some alert would have happened, the
girls would have woken up, and there's a chance that
lives could have been saved.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
I understand.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
I loved that my kids didn't have cell phones for
a little while, but when I started thinking about worst
case scenarios, and yes they're few and far between, but
when they do happen, those cell phones save lives, and.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
We've given them a lot, and we want to give
proper context and perspective. We understand. We talked about a
lot of scenarios, and some of them worst case scenarios,
some of them maybe more likely, and there are plenty
of other scenarios that people can keep coming up with
to why it's good and why it's bad. But just
simply stated, as a parent, and you mentioned summer camp,
(26:59):
you remember.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
How I was when Sabina had We're not okay.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Sabine had her phone taken away for some again, she
was going with three weeks.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
That's kind of the thing that you know, that is
standard operating procedure. And I get all the reasons why. Again,
they want the kids to connect. They want the kids
to play the way we play, to get dirty and
swim and have competitions and not be thinking about what's
on Instagram or what's on TikTok or all of those things.
So I actually appreciated that, But when you actually think
(27:26):
what if, what if, and it just it scares me.
I don't even think I thought about it as much
as I would now, given what happened in Texas and
certainly covering the school shootings that we've covered and the
terror attacks that we've covered, those things do happen, and
cell phones can make the difference.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Well again, Governor Hockel, now where she's coming from. Yes,
I think all people have good intentions on all sides here,
but it's just one and that it was you and
I have been passionate about and been dealing with for
a year because I think we've been sitting at this
table every time as the being comes in and say, hey,
it got an update on the pouches we're going to
be and it was just frustrating. We saw this coming
(28:11):
and anything can happen anywhere. Those scenarios are not likely, right,
school shootings are not likely. We know this, but God forbid,
because we don't want to have this conversation, sweetheart in
a few weeks, a few months, a few years that
somebody at some school could have been saved but their
(28:33):
phone was locked up. Hope we don't ever have to
have that conversation, because the conversation the next day and
the next day and the next day is going to
be a tough one.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
It's something to think about, and there is no perfect answer,
but it's something certainly to consider. And you know, maybe
we'll have to come up with another way around, some
sort of way to walkie talkies.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Can we have walkie talkies.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Kids? It's more but to that point, you know. So
being told me I was talking to her about this
this morning, she said, Yeah, a lot of the kids
know how to unlock the pouches. She said, there's a
method they have. I shouldn't give it away, but it
takes a little effort and sometimes they end up damaging
the pouch. But some kids have come up with a
way to forcefully open that thing at school. Has she
(29:21):
promised me she hasn't done it.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
One other nugget with that, folks, We always appreciate you
hanging with us. Well, for now, I am as off
parent TJ. Holmes. I'm not that bad, but still passionate
about this one. But I'm TJ. Holmes and from our
partner here, Amy Robok, we always appreciate she hanging with us.
Hey, folks, It's Thursday, July the twenty fourth, and it's
kind of a parent's worst case scenario. You're at home,
turn on the TV and you see a breaking news
alert that something's going on at your child's school, maybe
even a potential school shooter. So what's the first thing
you want to do is certainly run to that school,
(00:23):
or you certainly want to pick up your phone and
contact your child. But what if the school has taken
the phones from all the children, none of them can
call to report an emergency, and you, the parent, cannot
get a hold of your child. Welcome to Amy and TJ.
I describe their robes. Really the nightmare scenario for a parent.
(00:46):
But we're talking about this because New York City is
now the largest city in the country. They have just
officially said that all public schools there will be a
bell to bell, ban on sell phones, educator's robes. Seed
to love it parents.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
You know, this has been a topic of conversation in
our house because Sabine School started this policy when this.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Entire school year, so her first year in middle school
here in New York, sixth grade, they took him away
as this was this school decided to do it on
their own ahead of time. And I was pissed then.
I'm more pissed now.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Look, I think, especially given what we do, we're more,
perhaps even keenly aware of what can go wrong. How
many school shootings have we covered, have we gone to?
And it is something that is always in the back
of every parent's mind, and that can happen anywhere, at
any point, at any school. And if you cannot reach
(01:49):
your child directly, or maybe even more importantly, if your
child cannot.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Reach you, your.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Child cannot call nine one one, your child cannot get help.
That cell phone is a lifeline in so many ways.
I remember when my youngest turned twelve and I knew
she was getting on a bus by herself, and I
knew I got her a phone. I didn't want to
get her a phone really for all the other reasons,
but I.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Knew that that could be a lifeline.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
And especially here in New York City, we have bigger
challenges and bigger concerns. Maybe Chicago, there are a couple
other big cities that might have the same thing. But
when our kids are at school, they are not in
a community in a suburb with school crossing guards. We
are in the middle of a city that is a
(02:34):
constant terror target, and there are so many things going
on in the streets of New York people getting in
and out of schools. To think that our kids can't
contact us or can't contact help if there's a chaotic situation,
a scary, unforeseen situation that is frightening as a parent.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
So let's talk about, though, the other side. I say
the other side, given that I know what side I'm on.
And let's be clear here, robarc and I are dipping
into not dipping into politics. We are not taking any
issue with the bill that was passed in New York
and Governor Hochal sign that included this statewide. They're going
to start doing this the entire state school dissues are
required to do this New York City and the mayor
(03:15):
just officially stated, i think late last night in a
tweet that yes, we will be banning all cell phones
and all was sixteen hundred public schools here in New York.
I believe it is the logic there, and it sounds,
is it not. They want to avoid distractions for the
kids when they're in the classroom. You can't argue with that, though,
(03:38):
can you.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
They don't want distractions of the scrolling. There's also issues
with cheating when you have cell phones. There's also issues
with bullying. You know, you've got these kids walking, you know,
even in between classes in the hall, there could be
recording that shouldn't be going on and social media posts
that shouldn't be happening. That causes a lot of problems,
a lot of mental distress for a lot of kids.
(03:59):
That all absolutely makes sense to me, And yet you
have to weigh those concerns from education to even mental
health with physical and emergency situations. Now I know that
they say, hey, the teachers all have their cell phones,
so if anything goes wrong, the teacher can contact help,
get help. And if you, the parent, need to get
(04:21):
in touch with your child, you can call the school
office old school like we did when we were kids.
But we are living in very different times than we
were when you and I were kids, And.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
I think the I think that's a good aim, right,
that should be the goal. We want to cut down
and distract distractions. We don't want kids using their cell
phones during class time. Nobody's arguing with that.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
Not an argument at all, only.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Argument, and the thing that really drove me crazy this year.
Why are we not trying some other method? Is there
not something else we can do in the school to
give them still be able to in an emergency, or
if it's the parent or whatever, give them a access
to the phone. And I need to make this clear.
What's happening, what we're talking about. Sabine School and several
(05:06):
others here in New York are using these pouches the kids.
Each kid gets an individual pouch. They put their phone
in the pouch when they walk into the school, and
then the pouch is locked using a special magnet. The
kid then has no way to open it on their own,
so they're responsible. They can keep it on them or
they can put it in their locker, but it doesn't
(05:26):
matter if you can keep it on you because you
don't have access to it. So that is the method
that they're using, and it's driving me absolutely benev.
Speaker 2 (05:36):
Right because even once the bell rings and Sabine's leaving school,
she has to then get in line and wait for
her pouch to be demagnetized to get.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Her cell phone out.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
That is a process that they've streamlined at the end
of school. But what if there was an emergency, What
if worst case scenario there was a school shooter, what
if someone dangerous got into the school, any type of
scenario like that. Do you really think there's going to
be some orderly line where someone's going to individually demagnetize
these pouches?
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Now, you know, My thought was, I don't even know.
Can you bring scissors into school?
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Because if you had to, you could cut open this
is a plastic pouch, correct, So if you had a
pair of scissors in case of an emergency, you could
cut it out.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
But like when you are scrambling, when there is.
Speaker 1 (06:23):
Fond the scissors, really.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
Exactly, it's it's another step that could really, honestly, at
some point could be the difference between life.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Or death and Sabine School. The law at least gives
schools their own some autonomy and coming up with how
they're going to implement a policy. All of them don't
have to use these pouches. But Sabine School, she was
explained to me this morning, they have a magnet that's
assigned to each of their homerooms, if you will. But
(06:51):
it's outside on the wall, and to get to it,
a teacher has to use their key to unlock it.
That's a lot of steps in an emergency, a lot
of staies. Okay, so this happened with Sabina and you know,
you just know, and we got off the phone. We
just got off the phone with my parents, both educators.
Mama retired to the elementary school teacher. My dad was
my high school principal. Yes, that was a good time,
(07:13):
but he still works for the school district now. Both
of them as educators said, we're for it.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
And that makes sense because as a teacher, yes, you're
trying to It's already hard enough to connect to your
students if they're sneaking a phone, and these kids are sneaky,
they know how to do it, they know where to
put it. It's on vibrate, they're not going to be ringing,
and they can have it somewhere where they're not paying attention,
they're not learning, and they also could be using it
to cheat without a doubt, And so that's frustrating for teachers.
(07:40):
That's got to be incredibly difficult. And I can understand
why they're done with cell phones in the classroom, But
I was even thinking, couldn't you, and you've talked about this,
couldn't you just have a collection box when they come
in too each room say cell phones here, or you
even said when people hang you know when you've tried
the shoe, it's.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
The closet's a shoe organizer.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Yeah, you rack. And so it was like a plastic
little compartment for each shoe. You could make sure each
each kid has a has a sign number and then
you know that their cell phones in there.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
So done, period, Why can't we.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Use another Why can't we try another option? And I
know they talk about the bullying and that's a real thing.
If kids are using their phones, even not in the
class but at recess.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
That can happen at home though too.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Well, you know, bullying can happen at any point during
the day, not just at school.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Something you speak on just phrase you love using that.
We too many parents are often trying to prepare the
road for the child instead of prepare the child for
the road. Part of life in an understanding is following rules,
know that they have consequences, consequences. It's discipline. It's being
(08:53):
able to almost regulate yourself, to be able to self monitor,
to be able to be smart enough to have the
restraint to not use it. What are we learning if
I'm telling kids who are in their formative years. You're
talking about six, seven, eight, nineteen. If we're telling them,
you know what, we don't trust you. You're not trustworthy enough,
(09:16):
you're not.
Speaker 3 (09:17):
Capable, you're not capable of following.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Rules, and you're not dedicated enough to your work during
the day. My daughter's not gonna use a cell phone.
I just know she's not. And there are plenty of
kids who don't need to be policed like this. Plenty
need to be policed in a way, but this reminded
me of that. It seemed like we as a society
are taking any responsibility for discipline out of the classroom.
I know they supposed to just teach, but to say, hey,
(09:41):
if you do that, you're gonna end up in detention. Hey,
if you do this, these are the consequences. Now we're
just saying, take it all from you, because you can't
do it on your own, You can't be trusted. Is
there not some lesson in there we should be trying
to teach.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Yeah, so to your point, and I am so agreeing
with you, because isn't this just another example of a
problem we have in this country period where we may
have a law but we if we police it, okay,
but we don't enforce it. And so here's the deal.
The obviously there is a policy in place in every
school your phones cannot be used or be out while
(10:17):
you're in the classroom period. So if you then don't
enforce that law, then kids are gonna do whatever they want. Well,
not everyone, Like you said, my kids are rule followers
for the most part.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
I know Sabine is too. But so the rule breakers.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Why because they are breaking the rules and they haven't
been punished or there haven't been consequences, or they haven't
been policed, or it hasn't been enforced. Why do those
few kids spoil it for everybody and now create a
situation in which a lot of parents who have kids
who would use their phone correctly and would not use
it when they shouldn't. Why should they not be able
(10:52):
to be in contact with their child or at least
know that that child has a lifeline if the worst
case scenario happened. I think that's really frustrating to a
lot of parents because yes, I was raised that way,
you were raised that way. Here's the rule, and if
you don't follow it, here's the consequence. I will be
watching you, and if you break the rule, there are
consequences to pay. Now, my mother also was a teacher
(11:15):
and an educator. I have aunts and uncles who were educators,
and the biggest issue that they complained about, and I
just heard your mom say the same thing. Teachers aren't supported.
Teachers aren't supported by their principles oftentimes or by the
school system. And parents will undermine teachers. If you punish
a child, if you say, hey, kid had a cell
phone out in class, or your kid was talking in class,
(11:36):
the parent will come in and say, no, they didn't,
and you can't punish them. And so so much power
has been taken away from teachers, and so they're probably
just like, you know what, great, this solves all my issues.
I'll be supported because no one can have their phone.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Here's my problem. And I have to keep saying this
ropes to what you're saying and to what we have
been saying here. Please do not think we are dipping
our toe into any political issue. This is not us
taking issue or taking a stance publicly against what Kathy
Hokel has done, against what Mayor Adams has now done.
Governor Hokele has now done, No Mayor Adams has done
(12:15):
or what Sabine's. Our issue is not with the legislation.
Our issue is not with wanting to get cell phones out.
We are not taking that stance. We are taking stances
as parents. We're speaking here as parents, and as parents,
you could be very unnerved by what's happening. I am
speaking as a parent now when I say I am
(12:36):
so against my child in New York City not having
access to a cell phone for eight hours, that she's
out of my sight. That when you say that, who,
no nobody lets their child go for eight hours without
being in contact anybody in the sixth seventh grade, You're
just not And I just wish there could have been
(12:59):
a little more thought on that, a little more engagement.
I just wish there could have been something else come
up with all these scenarios. I saw some other schools
have different scenarios that are better. It's just you feel
helpless in robes. There have been at least two incidents
since she's been fourth third fourth grade where they had
(13:20):
lockdown at school because somebody entered the building that they
don't know who the hell it is. Now. Things ended
up working out, but it's happened in this city too.
My child at her school, somebody walking around that shouldn't
have been in the school. Okay, hope your teacher is
nearby with the key so that they can unlock the
damn other key to unlock your pouch, so that now
(13:43):
I could know my kid is okay.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
It happened at my daughter's school as well, where they
had someone come into the building who shouldn't and wasn't
supposed to be there, and it was frightening and they
went into lockdown too. Now this is New York City,
I don't know. But the thing is, this is happening
all across the country. This cell phone ban, this bell,
de bell, no cell phone. This is sweeping the country.
(14:07):
This is going to come. If it isn't in your state,
now get ready. It probably is coming.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
But folks, would you believe there are some even in
law enforcement, who say that the kid having the cell
phone with him in school might be even more dangerous
in an emergency. All right, folks, Continuing are a very
(14:35):
personal and passionate discussion about the New York City Mayor
Eric Adams making it official, made the announcement yesterday late
that New York City will be following the state mandate
which says that public school students should not have their
cell phones on them during the school year. This starts
next school year twenty twenty five. Or if they call it,
what bell to Bell policy.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
Yeah, it's a distraction free school's law or bell to
Bell's smartphone restrictions from kindergarten all the way up to
seniors in high school. That is wild to me that
that entire school age from four to eighteen, you cannot
have access to your cell phone for eight hours a
(15:19):
day during the school week.
Speaker 3 (15:21):
No matter what.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
They're supposed to have. The legislation says they're supposed to
have aged school supposed to have something in place that
allows the kids to call in some way. But even
Sabine is telling me they would have to tell the
teacher they when they have to go to the office
to make a call, or you have to have an
emergency and the teacher has to unlock the case they're
supposed to be away in an emergency. Would have to
(15:43):
be an extreme case they can't call you because they
are out of money for a out lunch or something.
Speaker 2 (15:48):
Yeah, and I'm thinking about even high school students who
not only have their cell phones a lot of them
have iPads, they have smart watches. All of that is
under the same rule no smart watches, So you can't
have your Apple Watch on you even if you like
to count your steps too bad, So sad can't happen.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
But I think that can get the internet Internet with it.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
Exactly, so you know, look, this kind of makes you
want to give if you gave your child a flip phone,
would she be able to bring that? I mean that
that would maybe be the backup plan for a parent,
but not everybody can afford that.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
Obviously.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Now you have to have a whole other cell phone plan.
I mean that just seems silly. But would that make
it okay if you had a flip phone.
Speaker 1 (16:28):
I wonder if there's an exception for that. I'm going
to look into that. I assume they thought of that.
But you make a good point. It's not a matter
of the Internet. There just have a phone that a
kid can you can get in contact.
Speaker 3 (16:39):
And that's all we're talking about.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
We don't I don't want my child on the Internet
distracted doing things they shouldn't be doing, when they should
be learning, when they should be paying attention, when they
should be engaging. They also point to this social issue.
They say that kids aren't interacting with each other, and
so they really believe by having this cell phone fan
that it's going to force kids to sit across from
(17:00):
each other at lunch and talk to each other instead
of having their heads down. Now, look, we do see
even just families on vacation. For a family four, a
family five, every single one of them, no one's talking
to each other.
Speaker 3 (17:12):
Every single person is on the cell phone.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
And when you sit there, like, just take a second
look at lunch, Look when you're on vacation this summer,
look and see how families operate. It's really sad. We're
all guilty of it here and there, but we all
get addicted. So I like the idea because it's a
huge problem with our kids.
Speaker 3 (17:30):
They are socially awkward.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
They don't know how to have conversations without hey, let
me look that up, or did you see what's on
TikTok or making TikTok videos in the cafeteria, all of that.
I am so for personal one on one conversations, face
to face engagement, but they're just there has to be
a better way than locking your phone up with zero
(17:52):
access to it. If you need it in a moment's notice.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
And I think we're I think we've been clear, but
let's say it even clearer. We absolutely we think not
a single kid should be using the phone in class
at all, all day period period. Should not. And you
know what, I would even be in favor of banning
the use of the cell phones in the cafeteria. Fine,
(18:15):
put the signs up everywhere, monitor the kids. Let there
be consequences. Loo he got his phone taken away and
he got attention. I don't want that to happen to me.
It'll take two weeks in behavior will change. Fine, they
don't want to have to monitor. What we're saying here
is we're in favor of kids not using phones. We're
just not in favor of the phones being taken away
(18:36):
and access to them by their parents being taken away.
I'm not gonna message my kid in the middle of class,
that's not what we're talking about. But if she goes
out to lunch, or if she does have an emergency,
this is only an emergency tool, period, That's what I'm
talking about, And we're taking a tool away. And in
a city like New York. I was upset when they
first implemented it, and I know you'll remember that when
(18:58):
I really went over the top and got it upset.
Is because they had a I think it was a
fire drill some of the for a couple of days.
It's hard for a lot of people around the country
to imagine the school you went to. Right there was
a playground outside, maybe even a parking lot. Over here,
you had a school campus. My child attends school on
the sixth and seventh floor of a high rise in
(19:22):
Lower Manhattan. That's a different experience. So she had a
fire drill, she has to come down. They're not just
outside on the lawn like you and I were as kids.
They're literally on the New York City street. The whole school,
the campus of children is standing on the street being
monitored by a handful adults. Car could come by hit
(19:47):
a kid, motorcycle. We got freaking scooters everywhere, You got bikes,
you got how many times if we had just a
manhole cover blow off here in New York and the
whole city shuts down. Because we're wondering if it was
a terrorist attack, Those things happen. If that happens and
my kid is on the street, she has no way
imagine the chaos you've been here Robes when there's some
(20:09):
emergency on the subway and everybody in the city is
doing what scrambling to find their loved ones. Are you okay?
Are you okay? Just checking? Where are you? We've all
been through that drill. You're taking that away.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
Yes, and you know my kids are now in college
or even graduated from college. But I still remember feeling
safer and better knowing, especially if I was at work
and busy, knowing that they could get a hold of
me at any moment. Now I know they're saying, all
you have to do is ask a teacher. All you
have to do is go to the front office. Well,
that would be wonderful if it's something that allows for that.
(20:43):
There's enough time to do that, there's enough thought behind that.
But we all know in an emergency, all bets are off.
People are frantic, they aren't thinking clearly or critically, and
especially a kid, they don't have those skills and they
want to be able to reach out to their parents.
I'm even thinking, like, if something embarrassing happens, I'm gonna
say this. If your child gets her period and that happened,
(21:07):
that was a real thing that happened in the middle
of school. She might be too embarrassed to go talk
to the teacher or to like just to be able
to have that lifeline, to be able to reach out
to your mom and dad maybe in between classes and
say help, this is happening.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
Can you come? You know I need you? And maybe
they don't feel comfortable going.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
There's just a lot of different reasons why having that
access to your child and for your child to have
that access to you makes sense. Now again, yes, we
are all about those. It just seems like there could
be another place to put the cell phones, another way
to store the cell phones where they're easily accessed but
clearly policed. And look, I'm also curious and this is
(21:44):
what maybe educators would say to us. You say we
should police kids using their cell phones and there should
be consequences.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
Our schools.
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Are teachers able to actually provide real consequences without parents
and pushing back? Can they take someone's cell phone? Can
they could? If that person broke the policy multiple times?
Could they they then be banned from using their cell
phone or having a cell.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
Phone at all?
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Good? And you should make an example out of that
knucklehead on day one. Give it two weeks of actually monitoring,
Give it two weeks of enforcing your policy of no
cell phones in the school. And I just and I
know they're educators who are thinking differently. I'd say, you
don't teach. You ain't been in my classroom. That I respect,
and I get that is not my argument in the
(22:32):
least bit, But there are And you know what, we
were on the phone just before we started with my dad.
We were late recording because he was talking awful lot
about this, but he finally drove it home for me.
He goes again, my high school principal. He's now still
with the superintendent's office there in my hometown, but he's
(22:53):
going in ro You heard him at the beginning, and
you were maybe surprised, we both were. He's like, hell, yeah,
all four doing that here in Arkansas. You can't police
this stuff. These kids are crazy, they're slick, they can
absolutely sneak. Nothing you can do about this is an
educator of fifty.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Years, and he was talking about cheating and bullying. Really
those were the two big things, and distraction, but those
were all things. And I hadn't even thought about the
bullying part of it. And the cheating part obviously makes
a lot of sense as well. But yeah, he said,
as principal, I'm all for it, but as.
Speaker 1 (23:24):
A parent, I'm not. And I think that's it.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
He even said as a grandparent to Sabine, Yeah, thinking
about her in a New York City school without her
cell phone, I don't like that. So you can actually
support it. Yeah, you could support the band as an
educator and be against the band as a parent, and
both of them makes sense.
Speaker 1 (23:46):
He split when he said it. It finally brought it
home to us, and Okay, we get it now. He
himself is for it and against it, depending on which
role he's playing. Is he an educator or is he
Sabine's granddad, And he saw it two different ways. Was
so fascinating to me. The last thing here, and this
is law enforcement, and you have to lean on them.
(24:07):
They know what they're talking about, and I have to
believe that they believe what they're saying, which is that
they could do more harm during an emergency, because if
all the kids have their cell phones during an emergency,
instead of listening to the instructions of the teacher or
the person who's trying to get them to safety, maybe
they'd be looking down at the phone, Maybe they'd be
trying to call their parents and not paying attention to
(24:29):
those instructions. That does, I suppose, in theory makes sense.
It does doesn't make me feel any dotter.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Look, I mean, in certain scenarios, in certain situations, I
can absolutely see how that would be the case. You
would want your students focused on whoever is leading them
away from harm and towards safety. That absolutely makes sense.
But we both know that so often when the worst
case scenario happens, you're talking about hiding, you're talking about
(24:57):
needing help, you're talking about children. I mean, I know,
God Uvaldi, one of those kids was able to call
nine one one, and some lives were saved because police
were able to get there quicker. But there's a mad
scramble when these things happen. People aren't following orders, and
there isn't order, and there isn't let's go here. I
(25:19):
mean sure, in some cases I'm a fire something like that, Yes,
But if you've got an active shooter, if you've.
Speaker 3 (25:24):
Got someone in that building who shouldn't be there.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
And people are afraid, and you are hiding for your life,
and you need to alert and who knows, in those
chaotic moments, the teacher might not even have her phone.
It might be in her person they've run into a closet.
Whoever has their phone can call for help. And certainly
this stood out to me with what happened in Texas.
I know this might seem like a stretch, but this
(25:48):
thought came into my head about Sabine's school and now
that this has become a statewide issue and mandate those
kids at that summer camp, and my kids went to
summer camp and their phones were taken from them, but
they didn't have their cell phones there when those alerts
were coming over their phones when there was an urgent
message from the National Weather Service, you are in a
(26:10):
flood zone and there is true you know there is
massive flooding.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
Headed your way.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
If those kids at that camp, at that all girls
Christian sleepaway camp, if they had their phone, someone's phone
would have gone off, some alert would have happened, the
girls would have woken up, and there's a chance that
lives could have been saved.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
I understand.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
I loved that my kids didn't have cell phones for
a little while, but when I started thinking about worst
case scenarios, and yes they're few and far between, but
when they do happen, those cell phones save lives, and.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
We've given them a lot, and we want to give
proper context and perspective. We understand. We talked about a
lot of scenarios, and some of them worst case scenarios,
some of them maybe more likely, and there are plenty
of other scenarios that people can keep coming up with
to why it's good and why it's bad. But just
simply stated, as a parent, and you mentioned summer camp,
(26:59):
you remember.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
How I was when Sabina had We're not okay.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Sabine had her phone taken away for some again, she
was going with three weeks.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
That's kind of the thing that you know, that is
standard operating procedure. And I get all the reasons why. Again,
they want the kids to connect. They want the kids
to play the way we play, to get dirty and
swim and have competitions and not be thinking about what's
on Instagram or what's on TikTok or all of those things.
So I actually appreciated that, But when you actually think
(27:26):
what if, what if, and it just it scares me.
I don't even think I thought about it as much
as I would now, given what happened in Texas and
certainly covering the school shootings that we've covered and the
terror attacks that we've covered, those things do happen, and
cell phones can make the difference.
Speaker 1 (27:49):
Well again, Governor Hockel, now where she's coming from. Yes,
I think all people have good intentions on all sides here,
but it's just one and that it was you and
I have been passionate about and been dealing with for
a year because I think we've been sitting at this
table every time as the being comes in and say, hey,
it got an update on the pouches we're going to
be and it was just frustrating. We saw this coming
(28:11):
and anything can happen anywhere. Those scenarios are not likely, right,
school shootings are not likely. We know this, but God forbid,
because we don't want to have this conversation, sweetheart in
a few weeks, a few months, a few years that
somebody at some school could have been saved but their
(28:33):
phone was locked up. Hope we don't ever have to
have that conversation, because the conversation the next day and
the next day and the next day is going to
be a tough one.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
It's something to think about, and there is no perfect answer,
but it's something certainly to consider. And you know, maybe
we'll have to come up with another way around, some
sort of way to walkie talkies.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
Can we have walkie talkies.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Kids? It's more but to that point, you know. So
being told me I was talking to her about this
this morning, she said, Yeah, a lot of the kids
know how to unlock the pouches. She said, there's a
method they have. I shouldn't give it away, but it
takes a little effort and sometimes they end up damaging
the pouch. But some kids have come up with a
way to forcefully open that thing at school. Has she
(29:21):
promised me she hasn't done it.
Speaker 2 (29:22):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
One other nugget with that, folks, We always appreciate you
hanging with us. Well, for now, I am as off
parent TJ. Holmes. I'm not that bad, but still passionate
about this one. But I'm TJ. Holmes and from our
partner here, Amy Robok, we always appreciate she hanging with us.
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