[Citizen Blade]

At princess riverdawg’s (Catholic) high school, all cell phones are supposed to be turned off while the student is in the building or anywhere on school grounds between 8:00 am and afternoon dismissal, usually 3:15 pm.

I know lots of schools have the rule. I would tell my kids to ignore the rule and to keep their phones with them, set to either silent or vibrate. If I needed to reach them (or vice versa), that overrides such rule.

[riverdawg]

I understand your point of view, but princess riverdawg always has her phone with her at school and if she needs to reach us, or we need to reach her, the school office is always, at most, a 60-second stroll down the hall. This worked well for grades 1 through 8 when she didn't have a cell phone and, as another poster mentioned, it worked for many generations past.

I don't mean to turn this into a cell-phone rant. They are a great convenience, and in extreme situations can be a life-saver. But ...

in the past week alone, I have heard cell phones ring or vibrate very loudly during a classical concert, a baptism at church, a college seminar room, a banquet speech (it was a Rudy Guiliani moment), and a job interview (yes, the candidate's phone!). Many people who otherwise have fine character and admirable traits have lost all sense of propriety and courtesy when it comes to cell-phone use in the presence of others.