Second, I would neither place nor recieve a call in a courtroom. Cell phones could be used to intentionally disrupt testimony, or might merely do so inadvertently were they allowed in courtrooms, which could conceiveably result in a mistrial or worse, and that is why judges prohibit them.
Finally, every cop I have ever met would explain, concisely, that such use was prohibited there and not immediately grab the phone, but more simply, I wouldn't use one in either location.
This kid was on his lunch break in a school cafeteria, not in a location where the phone might have caused either a life threatening problem or critical disruption of the judicial process. He stepped outside to take the call. He disrupted no class in doing so.
As for the school administrator: Not a cop, (I really don't know how the police became involved, y'all started that).
Exactly what RFI critical tasks being done outside the lunchroom? What uninteruptible acts of critical jurisprudence were taking place?
Last, Amelia, the kids dad is the one who died 5 years ago. His mom is his sole surviving parent, and she is in a war zone. I was referring to the kid's father, not speculating on the administrator's love life. If I got that mixed up, my apologies.
You guys can play scenario games until we are Park rangers confronted with the dilemma of what to do when a member of an endangered animal species is eating an endangered plant, but the reality is that there are far better ways to handle the situation than were used. DO you think the school officials have gained any respect in the eyes of this student? of the student body? Of the general public?
While under different circumstances, they might have been more justified in demanding the immediate surrender of the phone (if the kid were taking an exam, in class, and they suspected cheating, perhaps), but in this instance, waiting would have harmed nothing.
No, I have had no phone calls from Iraq. The people I know who have been deployed there have saved their phone time for more immediate family members, as it should be. I can catch up on the news second hand.
Well, here's a clue - some of the people I know who have been and are deployed there are immediate family members. Others are the immediate family members of my neighbors, coworkers and students.
From the beginning of this war, I don't know of any of them who have ever received a phone call from Iraq during school hours.
The emergency thing doesn't wash either - if there's an actual emergency involving a family member in Iraq, you are notified in person, not by telephone. That's in part so you are ensured of having someone there to support you.