VOA教育报道2024--US School Shooting Raises Questions about Classroom Phone Bans

US School Shooting Raises Questions about Classroom Phone Bans

A mass shooting at an American high school has raised questions about policies restricting cellphone use in classrooms.

The shooting took place September 4 at Apalachee High School in the southern state of Georgia. The suspect was identified as Colt Gray, a 14-year-old student at the school. The shooting left two students and two teachers dead. Nine others were injured.

During the shooting, some students at Apalachee High School used cellphones to call their parents to let them know what was happening. Others made calls to loved ones to leave messages they thought might end up being final goodbyes.

Some opponents of cellphone bans in schools have said such situations demonstrate a reason cellphones should not be completely banned from classrooms. They believe phone bans can cut off a possible lifeline for parents to make sure their children are safe during school shootings or other emergencies.

But supporters of such restrictions¹ - including many teachers - say the rules are needed. They say cellphones can cause many distractions³ for students.

Keri Rodrigues is president of the National Parents Union, an education activist⁴ group. She said she understands that parents "are deeply concerned about whether or not they're going to get timely information" about their kids in emergency situations.

Rodrigues told The Associated Press (AP), "The fact of the matter is parents and families cannot rely on schools to effectively communicate with us in times of emergency, and this has happened time and again."Nationwide, 77 percent of U.S. schools say they currently ban cellphones for non-school-related work. That number comes from the National Center for Education Statistics. But experts say the number is misleading and does not necessarily mean students are following the bans or that all schools are effectively enforcing them.

In the southern state of Arkansas, Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders offered school districts a state-supported financial assistance program. It helps administrators⁵ buy containers to hold students' phones during the school day.

In California, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has urged school districts to restrict cellphone use. He is considering signing legislation that would require schools to enact⁶ restrictions.

Newsom recently told reporters, "I'd hate to see another school shooting be the reason that we bring TVs into the classroom and then disrupt our children's education." He explained that permitting schoolchildren to have cellphones in school is almost like letting them watch television in class. Doing so, Newsom said, can "greatly disrupt" the learning process.

But opponents of phone bans say the device can be helpful for students facing dangerous situations at school. For example, some students caught in the Apalachee shooting were able to use their phones to contact loved ones during moments they feared could be their last.

One student, high school junior Julie Sandoval, told the AP she texted her mother from inside the school, "I love you. I love you so much..." In another message, she wrote, "I'm sorry I'm not the best daughter. I love you."Sandoval said she heard another student during the shooting speaking with her mother on the phone. She was heard saying, "They're shooting up the school! They're shooting up the school!"But some supporters of phone restrictions warn that permitting students to use phones during shootings or other emergencies could put them in even more danger.

Kim Whitman is co-founder of the Phone-Free Schools Movement. The group supports school policies to keep cellphones out of students' hands during class. "What's even more important to me is their safety," Whitman said. She noted⁷, for example, that a child on the phone with a loved one during a school emergency might miss important guidance from teachers or school officials. "That's a worse scenario⁸ in my mind," Whitman added.

Students in other school shootings have used cellphones to inform school officials or parents about the incidents. During the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas - which killed 21 people - a fourth-grader called 911 to get help. And during a 2018 shooting at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, students used their phones to communicate with loved ones and shoot video of the shooting.

Words in This Story

distraction² - n. something that makes you stop giving your attention to something else

rely - v. to depend on

disrupt - v. to interrupt the normal course of something

scenario - n. a description of a situation, or of a situation that may develop in the future

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

3 distractions   

n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱

参考例句：

• I find it hard to work at home because there are too many distractions. 我发觉在家里工作很难，因为使人分心的事太多。
• There are too many distractions here to work properly. 这里叫人分心的事太多，使人无法好好工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

5 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

6 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。