By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

You might ask, what do cell phones have to do with a brawl on school grounds? Well, apparently the combatants were using cell phones to call in reinforcements, thus exacerbating the fight. And yes, although other school districts have done this in the past, it was generally because the phones were a distraction or were being used to cheat (not that those are better uses for them, mind you).

The fracas earlier this month, in which six students and three adults were arrested, was the latest in a surge of cell phone-related fights and prompted Wisconsin’s largest school district to ban cell phones in its 217 schools beginning Monday. “We consider (cell phones) almost as weapons because when they call, we’re the ones out in front and we don’t know these people are coming,” said Mike Heese, safety security assistant at Bradley Tech High School, where the fight happened. Source: MSNBC

We Say: Some will say this is going overboard or that parents need to be able to call their kids (of course, if you read the article, since TWO carloads of the same family went to join a fracas twice in a matter of weeks … that family certainly doesn’t get the right to use that as an excuse). But I say, if they can’t use them properly, don’t let them use them at all. Cell phones are not a right, are they?