Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Boston's Bulldozer operates seven days a week. The Kooner Report
weekend edition WRKO The Voice of Boston.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Should cell phones be banned in schools? Good Morning Cooner contrary. Okay,
a lot and I mean a lot to talk about today.
In fact, there are several stories I'd love to get to,
but one of them. Again, this is a culture story
(00:29):
that is getting political. It is a national story. It
is getting more and more attention from parents, lawmakers, concerned
people everywhere. And that is now the growing movement to
ban cell phones in public schools. As things stand right now,
(00:50):
as you know, we have a serious crisis in education.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
There's no question.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Mass scores are down, Literacy scores are down, English proficiency
is down, and so many teachers, in fact, a majority
of teachers, if you look at the polls, say it's
not a silver bullet, but they say a big reason
(01:18):
for this massive decrease in academic performance, why students are
not performing as well, why they're not learning as much,
is because they are constantly distracted at school in the
classroom due to those devices, those cell phones, and they
(01:39):
start them in elementary school, middle and high school. They
are everywhere, and so teachers now are saying get rid
of these cell phones, ban them, or at least restrict them,
and what you will see is a much better classroom environment.
According to many many teachers, they say that if you
(02:02):
ban these devices or limit them, say to lunchtime or recess,
in other words, not in the classroom, keep them out
of the class you will see grades go up, academic
performance go up. That the kids in school will not
be distracted, but instead instead of staring at that device
(02:23):
all the time, they will focus on their work, on
the teacher, on the lesson, and that not only will
this end distraction and improve the quality of learning, they
also say where they've banned these cell phones that actually
students are much better socialized that in factor, talking to
(02:46):
each other, talking to the teacher, you hear laughter, you
hear communication. And so, according to them, getting rid of
cell phones is a giant step for if we want
to reverse this education decline and confront this crisis now
(03:07):
that is affecting our entire country. Now, just because many
people are going to ask me these kind of questions,
so let me just set it up right away currently,
and I'm going by Education Week, which is the official
you know, publication that covers not just universities, but obviously
high school, middle school, secondary education, higher education. According to
(03:32):
Education Week, and that's considered the gold standard in terms
of education facts and data. Thirty one states and the
District of Columbia currently now have some kind of a
ban on cell phones right now on the books. Some
(03:53):
of these bands are what they call bell to bell
cell phone band use. In other words, the moment the
kids come into the school or the moment they enter
the classroom, their cell phones are taken away from them.
Usually they're put in some kind of a pouch or
some kind of a basket, and they are not able
(04:15):
to access those phones throughout the entire day, and that
includes recess, that includes in between classes, that includes lunchtime.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
They only get it.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Back at the end of the school day as they
are leaving the school. Some states Kentucky, Tennessee, restrict cell
phone use, meaning they're not allowed. They're banned in the classroom.
If you have them, you're gonna get punished, and the
punishments can be quite severe up to an including detention
(04:48):
and even suspension. But you are allowed to use them
during lunchtime and during recess, so it depends on which state.
It even depends in many cases on.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Which school district.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
As for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, so far, now school
districts have them. For example, both of my children the
school district that they're in, the school bans their use
of cell phones. To give you an example, for both
of them, they and one is in elementary and the
other one is in middle school. Although Ashton now will
(05:23):
be going to high school this September. But in the
the schools that they attend, the moment they walk in,
the cell phone is put in a pouch. They are
not able to access the phone at all throughout the
entire school day. They only get their phone back when
they leave the school, Okay, when the school day is over,
(05:45):
but that's the school district decision. As far as the
state imposing a mandate, so far, there is no law
on the books. However, the state Senate has now passed
a spell to bell ban on cell phones in schools.
Governor morraheely supports a ban on cell phone use bell
(06:10):
to bell. It looks like the State House is going
to pick up that bill. It looks like they have
the votes to pass it, and so maybe not for
this year. But they say definitely for the next academic year.
Massachusetts will be then the thirty second state that will
implement a massive, sweeping.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Ban on cell phones in schools.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Now, just so that you know politically how this lays out,
many Republicans favor a cell phone ban.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Many Democrats favor a cell phone ban.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
It is one of the few issues where you see
a lot of convergence and agreement among Democrats and Republicans
here in Massachusetts. As an example, Morrahey supports a bell
to bell cell phone ban in schools. So does Attorney
General Andrea Campbell, so to practically every single Democrats up
(07:07):
on Beacon Hill. There are a few Republicans that are
opposing it, but for the most part, this is largely
bipartisan here in Massachusetts and has been in other states,
including Red states. Now I can let me just there's
actually a division even now. In my own home, in
the in Casa Kooner, in the Kooner family household, Grace
(07:31):
is all, my wonderful wife, my better half, is all
for a ban on cell phone use. She believes it
is getting our children addicted to cell phones, to social media,
to this kind of technology that she says is poisoning
the minds of our kids. That they can't turn this
(07:53):
device off. It's bad enough they're always on it when
they're at home. Now they're also constantly in frequently on
it or looking at it when they're in the classroom.
She says it is a huge distraction from learning. It
stunts the children's development or the students's development, and that
it is clearly a key factor in why academic performance
(08:16):
and grades are bad, and why performance.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
In schools are horrible, and.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
That teachers complain to Grace all the time that these
devices make it almost impossible for them to effectively do
their job.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
A Grace also accepts the.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Argument that this is really stunting basic social development, that
instead of playing with each other, instead of talking with
each other, instead of communicating with each other, instead of
doing things together, they're.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Just staring at that screen.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
They're looking at movies, they're looking at videos, they are
playing games on that thing, that all they do is
stare at that screen, and that this is now seriously
damaging the ability of students to even have the most
basic friendships, the most basic social interactions. So Grace is
(09:18):
all for a bell, two bell, cell phone, a band
a ban on cell phones in schools. Now, these are
public schools. You can't mandate what's going on in private schools.
Most private schools, though, do have a cell phone ban. Now,
this is my position. I disagree with Grace, and I'll
(09:40):
tell you why. And of course you may disagree with me.
My own family disagrees with me. I'm against a ban
on cell phone use in schools, not at the district level.
I don't like it at the state level. I don't
like a one size fits all mandate whereby politicians in
(10:03):
state capitals and the governor put a blanket policy on
every single school and every single school district. I believe
decisions like this should be made at the local level
by the schools themselves, according to the needs of their students.
(10:27):
Some students in some areas may need cell phones to
help with instruction, to help with learning. Others may decide, no,
we don't need phones at all. But let me tell
you my biggest concern. They can't keep our schools safe.
How many school shootings have we had over and over
(10:50):
and over again, And how many times have cell phones
buy the students themselves as they're under lockdown been in
instrumental in warning the police and calling for help, or
in this case, talking to family members who are helping
(11:11):
them to survive a school shooter. I'm sorry, my child,
my choice.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
You're locked into Boston's bulldozer. The Kooner Repord weekend edition,
The Voice of Boston WRKO
Boston's Bulldozer operates seven days a week. The Kooner Report
weekend edition WRKO The Voice of Boston.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Should cell phones be banned in schools? Good Morning Cooner contrary. Okay,
a lot and I mean a lot to talk about today.
In fact, there are several stories I'd love to get to,
but one of them. Again, this is a culture story
(00:29):
that is getting political. It is a national story. It
is getting more and more attention from parents, lawmakers, concerned
people everywhere. And that is now the growing movement to
ban cell phones in public schools. As things stand right now,
(00:50):
as you know, we have a serious crisis in education.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
There's no question.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Mass scores are down, Literacy scores are down, English proficiency
is down, and so many teachers, in fact, a majority
of teachers, if you look at the polls, say it's
not a silver bullet, but they say a big reason
(01:18):
for this massive decrease in academic performance, why students are
not performing as well, why they're not learning as much,
is because they are constantly distracted at school in the
classroom due to those devices, those cell phones, and they
(01:39):
start them in elementary school, middle and high school. They
are everywhere, and so teachers now are saying get rid
of these cell phones, ban them, or at least restrict them,
and what you will see is a much better classroom environment.
According to many many teachers, they say that if you
(02:02):
ban these devices or limit them, say to lunchtime or recess,
in other words, not in the classroom, keep them out
of the class you will see grades go up, academic
performance go up. That the kids in school will not
be distracted, but instead instead of staring at that device
(02:23):
all the time, they will focus on their work, on
the teacher, on the lesson, and that not only will
this end distraction and improve the quality of learning, they
also say where they've banned these cell phones that actually
students are much better socialized that in factor, talking to
(02:46):
each other, talking to the teacher, you hear laughter, you
hear communication. And so, according to them, getting rid of
cell phones is a giant step for if we want
to reverse this education decline and confront this crisis now
(03:07):
that is affecting our entire country. Now, just because many
people are going to ask me these kind of questions,
so let me just set it up right away currently,
and I'm going by Education Week, which is the official
you know, publication that covers not just universities, but obviously
high school, middle school, secondary education, higher education. According to
(03:32):
Education Week, and that's considered the gold standard in terms
of education facts and data. Thirty one states and the
District of Columbia currently now have some kind of a
ban on cell phones right now on the books. Some
(03:53):
of these bands are what they call bell to bell
cell phone band use. In other words, the moment the
kids come into the school or the moment they enter
the classroom, their cell phones are taken away from them.
Usually they're put in some kind of a pouch or
some kind of a basket, and they are not able
(04:15):
to access those phones throughout the entire day, and that
includes recess, that includes in between classes, that includes lunchtime.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
They only get it.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Back at the end of the school day as they
are leaving the school. Some states Kentucky, Tennessee, restrict cell
phone use, meaning they're not allowed. They're banned in the classroom.
If you have them, you're gonna get punished, and the
punishments can be quite severe up to an including detention
(04:48):
and even suspension. But you are allowed to use them
during lunchtime and during recess, so it depends on which state.
It even depends in many cases on.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Which school district.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
As for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, so far, now school
districts have them. For example, both of my children the
school district that they're in, the school bans their use
of cell phones. To give you an example, for both
of them, they and one is in elementary and the
other one is in middle school. Although Ashton now will
(05:23):
be going to high school this September. But in the
the schools that they attend, the moment they walk in,
the cell phone is put in a pouch. They are
not able to access the phone at all throughout the
entire school day. They only get their phone back when
they leave the school, Okay, when the school day is over,
(05:45):
but that's the school district decision. As far as the
state imposing a mandate, so far, there is no law
on the books. However, the state Senate has now passed
a spell to bell ban on cell phones in schools.
Governor morraheely supports a ban on cell phone use bell
(06:10):
to bell. It looks like the State House is going
to pick up that bill. It looks like they have
the votes to pass it, and so maybe not for
this year. But they say definitely for the next academic year.
Massachusetts will be then the thirty second state that will
implement a massive, sweeping.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Ban on cell phones in schools.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Now, just so that you know politically how this lays out,
many Republicans favor a cell phone ban.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
Many Democrats favor a cell phone ban.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
It is one of the few issues where you see
a lot of convergence and agreement among Democrats and Republicans
here in Massachusetts. As an example, Morrahey supports a bell
to bell cell phone ban in schools. So does Attorney
General Andrea Campbell, so to practically every single Democrats up
(07:07):
on Beacon Hill. There are a few Republicans that are
opposing it, but for the most part, this is largely
bipartisan here in Massachusetts and has been in other states,
including Red states. Now I can let me just there's
actually a division even now. In my own home, in
the in Casa Kooner, in the Kooner family household, Grace
(07:31):
is all, my wonderful wife, my better half, is all
for a ban on cell phone use. She believes it
is getting our children addicted to cell phones, to social media,
to this kind of technology that she says is poisoning
the minds of our kids. That they can't turn this
(07:53):
device off. It's bad enough they're always on it when
they're at home. Now they're also constantly in frequently on
it or looking at it when they're in the classroom.
She says it is a huge distraction from learning. It
stunts the children's development or the students's development, and that
it is clearly a key factor in why academic performance
(08:16):
and grades are bad, and why performance.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
In schools are horrible, and.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
That teachers complain to Grace all the time that these
devices make it almost impossible for them to effectively do
their job.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
A Grace also accepts the.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Argument that this is really stunting basic social development, that
instead of playing with each other, instead of talking with
each other, instead of communicating with each other, instead of
doing things together, they're.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Just staring at that screen.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
They're looking at movies, they're looking at videos, they are
playing games on that thing, that all they do is
stare at that screen, and that this is now seriously
damaging the ability of students to even have the most
basic friendships, the most basic social interactions. So Grace is
(09:18):
all for a bell, two bell, cell phone, a band
a ban on cell phones in schools. Now, these are
public schools. You can't mandate what's going on in private schools.
Most private schools, though, do have a cell phone ban. Now,
this is my position. I disagree with Grace, and I'll
(09:40):
tell you why. And of course you may disagree with me.
My own family disagrees with me. I'm against a ban
on cell phone use in schools, not at the district level.
I don't like it at the state level. I don't
like a one size fits all mandate whereby politicians in
(10:03):
state capitals and the governor put a blanket policy on
every single school and every single school district. I believe
decisions like this should be made at the local level
by the schools themselves, according to the needs of their students.
(10:27):
Some students in some areas may need cell phones to
help with instruction, to help with learning. Others may decide, no,
we don't need phones at all. But let me tell
you my biggest concern. They can't keep our schools safe.
How many school shootings have we had over and over
(10:50):
and over again, And how many times have cell phones
buy the students themselves as they're under lockdown been in
instrumental in warning the police and calling for help, or
in this case, talking to family members who are helping
(11:11):
them to survive a school shooter. I'm sorry, my child,
my choice.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
You're locked into Boston's bulldozer. The Kooner Repord weekend edition,
The Voice of Boston WRKO
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