back to article Science teacher jammed his school kids' phones, gets week suspension

A high school teacher in Tampa Bay, Florida, has been suspended without pay for using a jamming device to keep students off their cellphones. Science teacher Dean Liptak will spend five days on the naughty step at Fivay High School for employing a device that prevented nearby phones from making or receiving calls, sending and …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Just give them an 'F'

    For those too stupid to realise that they are there to learn not send cat piccies to their friends.

    The School District needs to make a policy.

    Use a phone in a lesson and you FAIL the course. That will screw up the GPA's for those little darlings/cherubs wanting to go to Harvard Law and spend the rest of their lives screwing the rest of us (or get a 1st Draft pick for any of the sillier US Sports)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Just give them an 'F'

      You've never actually been in a position where you're expected to discipline - well, anyone - have you?

      It's never a good idea for your first response to be the same as your last resort.

      1. Charles Manning

        Re: Just give them an 'F'

        "It's never a good idea for your first response to be the same as your last resort."

        Sometimes that's just learning cause and effect. Life doesn't always have a respawn

        Kids are programmed to keep searching until they get pushback. This roll-over-and-appease-the-darlings attitude is why kids keep doing more and more outrageous things until someone gets severely hurt or there is significant pushback.

        It is one of the reasons I let my minor son start reloading and mess around with explosives. This is serious shit sonny. Screw up and you will maim someone.

        Give one kid an F and the rest of the kids will get the message. Unfortunately the parents will likely just lawyer up and the kids will be given the message that the school system can be pushed around and it will all be undone.

        1. Charles 9

          Re: Just give them an 'F'

          What do you do with the rejects, then? You want this place to be like Japan with its terrible suicide rates?

          1. SundogUK Silver badge

            Re: Just give them an 'F'

            Yes.

          2. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge

            Re: Just give them an 'F'

            What do you do with the rejects, then?

            Teach them how to cope with failure and rejection when they're still young enough to cry on Mummy's shoulder and get over it. That is far better than making it seem that they never fail, until they finally get into the real world and fail at something important (as we all do). At that point they have no idea how to cope, but are too 'old' and self-conscious to ask for help. That's what leads to suicides.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Just give them an 'F'

              The thing is, in a cutthroat world such as ours, ONE mistake is usually enough to dead-end you (that's what brings up sucides in eastern countries like Japan--failure is not an option for them since it brings shame not just to them but to their family). We perpetually live with the Sword of Damocles over our heads. Get flunked out of school, you get labeled as an idiot and no one wants to hire you. Get fired once, especially at a low-end job, you get blackmarked as a troublemaker and no one wants to hire you again. Demand a decent pay and you get passed over for someone who willingly starves to death working unspeakable conditions for a crumb of bread. Since you basically NEED a job to survive here, being banished from work basically means you're banned from the straight-and-narrow path, which means you'll end up forcefully diverted to one of two alternatives: crashing (suicide) and and taking the crooked path (crime).

              Put shortly, the dreaded "F" might as well be called, "GAME OVER. You lose. Better Luck Next Life. Oh, that's right. YOU ONLY HAVE ONE LIFE!"

              1. Jediben

                Re: Just give them an 'F'

                Natural selection is gone, we've had to come up with alternatives. The curse of science is the perpetuity of the feckless.

              2. sisk

                Re: @AC

                You're losing touch with reality. My wife was fired from Wal-Mart (long story - the short version is that even the store manager said it wasn't her fault but the termination came down from the corporate headquarters so his hands were tied), then a couple years later flunked out of her fourth attempt at college (after having dropped out 3 times - Don't get me started, but it's her own fault). Now she works a very good job in a retail back office.

                1. Anonymous Coward
                  Anonymous Coward

                  Re: @AC

                  "You're losing touch with reality. My wife was fired from Wal-Mart (long story - the short version is that even the store manager said it wasn't her fault but the termination came down from the corporate headquarters so his hands were tied), then a couple years later flunked out of her fourth attempt at college (after having dropped out 3 times - Don't get me started, but it's her own fault). Now she works a very good job in a retail back office."

                  Trust me. You are very much the exception. I've seen many an HR department take one look at a government-issued employment record, notice one little detail, and toss it out without a second glance. Usually it's some criminal conviction (felonies definitely, misdemeanors maybe, traffic offenses for drivers) or having dropped out of school or previously been fired.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          @Charles Manning

          "Learning cause and effect" doesn't exclude the possibility of a graduated response to misdemeanours.

          Discipline is a hard thing to learn, but making it arbitrarily harsh is not going to make it any easier. You need a range of sanctions, of escalating severity, and keep going up the scale until either you reach the top, or the perp falls into line, because if you've got it anything close to right, the huge majority of perps will fall into line long before you get to the top.

          Going directly to the top of the range is like - you park illegally, a cop wanders by and instead of ticketing your car, they lurk nearby and when you come back, they shoot you.

          That's not going to teach anyone "justice" or "respect for rules".

      2. YetAnotherLocksmith Silver badge

        Re: Just give them an 'F'

        It's never a good idea for your first response to be the same as your last resort.

        Hang on, I thought this story was about America?

        Surely they should copy the zero tolerance approach they have for violence, drugs and guns? Because that has always worked so well.

    2. Crazy Operations Guy

      Re: Just give them an 'F'

      The problem with that is that teacher pay is now based on the students' grades. If a teacher were to fail a student for such a thing, they might as well kiss their raise goodbye. Welcome to "No Child Left Behind"...

      1. ridley

        Re: Just give them an 'F'

        It is worse than that if your students do not make the expected progress you will fail performance management and be put onto capability and shortly after dismissed.

    3. MondoMan

      Re: Just give them an 'F'

      The problem of course is that it's often the students who are already earning an "F" who are the ones using cellphones in class. In "progressive" schools such as those in Seattle, where the district cares more about fashionable social theories than actual learning, that just means the student will be moved to an activity in the school where he/she will take up even more staff time.

  2. Martin Summers Silver badge

    Why is it not school policy that they put them in a metal Faraday box (or as best they can get) as soon as they arrive in the classroom and collect them afterwards? Seems his school are hardly supporting the guy in his objectives, no wonder he took extreme action.

    1. Triggerfish

      Build a Farady cage, put the phones in there, and tell the students they can have them back once they can explain the physics.

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Its the parents

      If a teacher did that I bet the parents would raise hell, because they want to be able to text their kids to let them know they're going to be late to pick them up or worrying "what if there's a school shooting and Johnny's phone is locked up so I can't reach him?"

      Don't know how my generation survived where the only way for parents to contact us during school hours was to call the main office and have us paged over the intercom. Never happened to me, but I remember it happening once in a while. It was always bad news, like someone died, not "I'm going to be late picking up you". That wasn't a problem because unless there was a blizzard, other than the few who took the bus, we walked home.

      1. ratfox

        Re: Its the parents

        Walking home? You get arrested if you let your kids walk home, nowadays.

      2. Otto is a bear.

        Re: Its the parents

        Wow, so when you ring your kid during a school shooting, the sound of his phone going off alerts the shooter to his location. Said hid only needs to know mummy dear is going to be late when he exits the classroom, not during the lesson.

        As to the need to dial 911, do US schools not have land lines any more?

        There is a simple film you can apply to classroom windows to shield the room from mobile signals, it's used in some quiet railway carriages, and secure sites.

        1. Peter Gathercole Silver badge

          Re: Its the parents @otto

          The film works on railway carriages because they are mostly metal, and the windows are the only place the signal can get in or out.

          The same is not true for schools. Brick, cinder block, low density concrete blocks, curtain wall on steel skeletons, terrapin huts (sorry, showing my age there) are all porous to mobile phone signals. You'd have to line the whole room with the film.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            @Peter - lining the room with film

            Easier/cheaper to wrap the entire exterior in grounded conductive mesh. Doesn't need to be fancy, probably 1cm openings are more than small enough to block all cellular frequencies. You can leave the film off the windows in the office, teacher's lounge, and student lounge/cafeteria so there are places they work.

            Doing the blocking on the exterior allows wifi to still work where desired. Obviously they'll only permit student devices to access it in designated areas as allowing them to access it on their phones in classrooms defeats the purpose of blocking cellular.

            If they're worried about "how do I call 911 for a school shooter" install a phone (traditional or VOIP) in each classroom that can only call the office and 911. Today they solely rely on "everyone has a cell phone" - the next school shooter just needs to order a high powered jammer on the internet and plug it in to his car's cigarette lighter before he goes on a rampage. I doubt he's going to be too concerned with FCC penalties at that point...

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Its the parents

        I really have to marvel at the Victorians, Romans, Egyptian societies that managed to survive without a cell phone

        , shows how wrong the Darwinian Selection process has got

    4. John Robson Silver badge

      Faraday cage...

      As soon as they enter the classroom?

      Why not the school - you can claim them back for break times if you like...

      1. Stuart Castle Silver badge

        Re: Faraday cage...

        Goot idea in theory.. In practice, there's the slight problem of planning permission and the cost of refitting the room(s). Not to mention permission from the school.

        It would be something the school may be able to implement, but the teacher almost certainly wouldn't be able to.

        1. werdsmith Silver badge

          Re: Faraday cage...

          Jamming devices are illegal because they can prevent people from calling emergency services, posing a public safety hazard.

          Having been around since before mobile phones, I had no idea that I had lived some of my younger life in such peril.

    5. Tom 13

      Re: Why is it not school policy

      Guess you read the headline and failed to read the article. That actually is school policy (well maybe not the Faraday box) and the teacher was too lazy to follow it.

      I was all for the leniency at the headline point, then I read and comprehended what he actually did. The phone company wasn't there because a couple of kids didn't get text messages while in his class. The idiot took out the cell tower that was serving the larger region, meaning all kinds of people who weren't students in school.

      1. Peter Gathercole Silver badge

        Re: Why is it not school policy @Tom 13

        Maybe schools should not be allowed to get extra income by allowing cell towers to be built on the school buildings. After all, what is all the EM radiation doing to our kids!

      2. Martin Summers Silver badge

        @ Tom Re: Why is it not school policy

        I did read the article. The confiscation as far as I interpreted it is carried out when a disruption involving a phone happens, for which he has to fill out a form each time a student refuses to give him their phone. It doesn't say it is school policy to take everyone's phone and put it in a box at the beginning of lesson at all.

  3. Patrick R
    Holmes

    "It's OK, because he disconnected the jammer" as soon as he learned

    ... that Verizon had found that the device was blocking reception ?

    Yeah right.

  4. Efros

    Experience shows that

    The parents are just as culpable as the students, they text and call their kids while they are in class knowing full well that the school policy is that these devices are supposed to be off and out of sight.

    As to this guy, well I can understand his motivation but even a cursory examination of the law would have shown him that this was a big no-no, he's lucky Verizon or indeed the FCC aren't taking action.

    1. Tom 13

      Re: Experience shows that

      Understanding that he actually took out a cell tower, not just the service in his classroom, Verizon and the FCC should have thrown the book at him. This is the sort of leniency that caused the problems that made him want the jammer in the first place.

  5. Mark 85

    Whatever happened to 'respect'???

    Don't parents teach that to their sprog anymore? Once upon a time, parents taught children how to show respect for where they were. If in a classroom, respect the teacher and the others in the room. In a theater, respect the other patrons. I could go on but you get the idea.

    1. Charles Manning

      Re: Whatever happened to 'respect'???

      The adults are no better. Kids template off their parents, so guess what - the kids lose respect too.

      Yesterday I had an electrician come around for 10 minutes to look at what needs to be done. During those ten minutes he cut off the conversation 6 times to answer his phone and talk to someone else. As a result we had to repeat parts of the conversation twice and I'm pretty sure he made some mistakes in the notes he took.

      I realise his time is important, but guess what: so is mine. I had to take time away from my work to talk to him. If he had just turned off the phone we could have been done in 5 minutes.

      1. fruitoftheloon
        Stop

        @Charles Re: Whatever happened to 'respect'???

        Charles,

        If a tradesman did that whilst talking to me about me paying him/her, I would show them out...

        Jay

        1. Tom 13

          Re: If a tradesman did that whilst talking to me

          I'd show him the door if he was talking to me about a quote too.

      2. YetAnotherLocksmith Silver badge

        Re: Whatever happened to 'respect'???

        It is difficult. As a self employed person I have to answer the phone when it rings - it is likely a job, & an emergency at that. So whilst it is rude, & I'll apologise, I'll not ignore it unless I know it is something I can ignore.

        Plus, it could well be money! You get a salary, regardless of how long you sit on your backside or how hard you work. My income is directly related to how hard I work, & my rate is still, for a call out at midnight, still likely less than many here get per hour.

        Once I walk from your job, having solved your emergency or need, it'll be likely years or even decades before further work is needed. So I need to pull in the work, & not answering the phone is a sure way to go out of business fast.

        I respect my customers, but I have to answer the phone.

        1. mistersaxon

          Re: Whatever happened to 'respect'???

          Or you could pony up and pay for a receptionist service. They can text you the subject of the call and you can generally read a text and absorb the importance while not intruding on your existing customer's time. I get paid to handle calls (IT support) so I know where you are coming from but I cannot just dump one customer I am in front of to talk to another unless the situation is critical, usually not even then. The call handling service answer immediately, respond politely and escalate the calls to me as SMS text instantly, with a follow up phone call shortly thereafter if I don't acknowledge the text.

          Seriously, pay someone else to help you if it's that important to your business because pissing off your potential or existing clients is a lot more expensive that finding new ones and I tend to think that if you don't get repeat business it's because you aren't looking for it... For example - when you open or replace a lock do you always do a quick free "security check" of the windows and other doors? Highlight the garage door and garage access to the house as weak points, or the conservatory or even the shed. There's always something...

        2. Squander Two

          Re: Whatever happened to 'respect'???

          > As a self employed person I have to answer the phone when it rings - it is likely a job

          The person standing in front of you right now, the one you're cutting off mid-sentence to answer your phone, the one you're pissing off, is also a job.

        3. codejunky Silver badge

          Re: Whatever happened to 'respect'???

          @ YetAnotherLocksmith

          Your situation doesnt seem to be getting much sympathy but I wouldnt have a problem waiting if you had a business call to deal with. Just as I would expect you to wait while I answer the office phone to a client. The only difference I see is that you are mobile while I am in a fixed location.

          1. Squander Two

            Re: Whatever happened to 'respect'???

            > Just as I would expect you to wait while I answer the office phone to a client.

            "I know you've gone to the trouble of coming here to talk to me in person, but you're just going to have to stand there and twiddle your thumbs while I deal with people who haven't. Whoever it is who's calling, I know they're more important than you."

        4. fruitoftheloon
          Stop

          @Yetanotherlocksmith: Re: Whatever happened to 'respect'???

          Hi,

          You DO NOT have to answer the phone, it needs to be answered by someone else or go into voicemail...

          Btw I am a sparky so I do get where you are coming from.

          Cheers,

          J

        5. Mark 85

          Re: Whatever happened to 'respect'???

          This truly has become a vicious circle. Customers call, you don't answer immediately, they call someone else. Respect all the way around in needed both from the contractor/tradesman, etc. to the customers.

          I always get kudos for not picking in the middle of a conversation. My voicemail says simply: "I'm with a customer right now. Please leave a voicemail and when I get back you I will give you the same attention I'm giving this customer which is, my full, undivided attention."

          Those that have no patience for this message (and there have been a few who think they are minor dieties) don't get called back. Mutual respect is a two-way street

        6. John Tserkezis

          Re: Whatever happened to 'respect'???

          "I respect my customers, but I have to answer the phone."

          This is fair, but there are limits too though. The Cardiologyst that was assigned to me after some surgery, in the space of nearly an hour of consultation, spent about half of it on a personal phone call, nothing related to work. Hands free. So he not only appeared to not give a shit about my time, ditto for the time of his assoicate, who's privacy was clearly of upmost importance too.

          To be fair though, this might be a job thing, I've worked with contractors who spend mere seconds taking jobs, and the odd times they do talk to friends, they talk and work at the same time.

      3. mistersaxon

        Re: Whatever happened to 'respect'???

        To which behaviour you should simply have said "If you take one more phone call you will lose the business, get a bad review on (relevant local review site) and I will bill you for my wasted time."

        Or, before getting to that point (ie at the start of the visit) explain that he isn't to take calls because you don't have the time to wait / waste.

        Mind you the number of times I've stood behind someone in a queue who wasted my time and the relevant cashier's time because they were on the phone instead of packing / paying etc. clearly show the lack of respect goes both ways...

      4. Anonymous Coward
        Windows

        Re: Whatever happened to 'respect'???

        Its hard to believe that someone will interrupt a conversation with someone in the flesh to answer a phone, but people do!

        In my shop there is talk of a legendary Carpet Layer, if anyone interrupted him to answer a phone his party trick was to lean in and cut the person's tie off with a Stanley knife. I doubt that its true, but its a lovely thought.

    2. hplasm
      Facepalm

      Re: Whatever happened to 'respect'???

      It got replaced with the fuzzy concept of "Disrespec' '"

      grr...

  6. Crazy Operations Guy

    "illegal because they can prevent people from calling emergency services"

    But what if you built one that blocked everything except emergency services? Build some kind of fake-tower like that blackholes every connection but passes through 911 calls...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "illegal because they can prevent people from calling emergency services"

      Jammers dont discriminate between 911/999 calls or otherwise. They simply flood the area with rf noise. They are fairly low powered though (2-4 watts) for a hand held device. Sometimes they can block a 100sqm area, sometimes a 1sqm area.. Depends on lots of factors.

    2. Tom 13

      Re: "illegal because they can prevent people from calling emergency services"

      Still illegal, particularly as he took out service to several blocks. The jammer was hitting a cell service tower.

  7. Kevin 6

    What?

    "The consequences could have been dire," Pasco County school district spokesperson Linda Cobe told WTSP. "If he was jamming the signal so 911 calls can't be made. It would affect an emergency in the school."

    Last time I was in a school working which was 5 years ago they had something we call LAND LINES which could dial 911 in case of an emergency, and even dial the parent when the idiots would act up...

    Lets face it if anything did happen we all know the kids wouldn't call 911, and instead be tweeting it, throwing it on instagram, and uploading video to youtube...

    1. Charles 9

      Re: What?

      In an emergency those LAND LINES could be OVERLOADED...or worse, CUT.

      1. melts

        Re: What?

        if your LAND LINE (why the caps i don't know) is overloaded, are you really saying the mobile network stayed up. From what i recall mobile networks fall over first.

        also they can be jammed easier than wires can be cut. if someone is cutting your landlines i'd expect them to have a jammer too - or they are idiots. cutting copper would be hard in a school where it would be terminated into an MDF. jamming would be flicking a switch in a device in your backpack...

      2. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
        Thumb Down

        Re: What?

        In an emergency those LAND LINES could be OVERLOADED...or worse, CUT.

        That EMERGENCY would then turn out to be a SKOOL SHOOTING, in which case you would be in a DIRE PICKLE as all the blue-clad people meant to "guard the campus" (i.e. harass and taser students for incontinent speech freedomization) would have left due to ELF AND SAFETY regualtions, waiting for the SWAT team to arrive. Which would then trundle in about 4h later.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: What?

          Guard the campus? schools are different to when I was a lad, (or maybe its a UK/US difference) there were no 'gates' to the school, anyone could easily walk onto the site, I used to carry a pen knife on me for sharpening pencils etc...

          And that was only 20 years ago (damn it sounds a long time ago now..)

          1. Tom 13

            Re: Guard the campus?

            A lot of it is regional although they are closing schools to casual visitors these days. I recall former students coming back to visit teachers, that wouldn't happen today. By the same token I'm even older than you and remember a transfer student telling me about the police and metal detectors at the entrances to the school she came from (Philadelphia, the city of Brotherly Knife and Gun Fights).

          2. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

            Re: What?

            schools are different to when I was a lad, (or maybe its a UK/US difference) there were no 'gates' to the school, anyone could easily walk onto the site, I used to carry a pen knife on me for sharpening pencils etc...

            None of the eight schools I attended in the US had gates. And I'm pretty sure I carried pen knives to all but perhaps the first. When I were a lad, a boy carried a pocketknife. As did a girl, if she were so inclined.1

            Of course that was in the '70s, '80s, and (for graduate school) the '90s and into the present day. A bit before dangerism took over US culture.

            When I was in middle school - around 11 years old - my younger brother and I used to walk half a mile from home to the public library, where we'd catch a bus into Haymarket Station in Boston. Then we'd walk from there to Quincy Market and roam the shops for a few hours, and then find our way back to Haymarket, wait for the next bus back to town, and walk home. I suppose if we'd needed to get in touch with our parents we could have found a payphone. But this was normal behavior in the day.

            According to the FBI, there are about 100 abductions of children by strangers annually in the US. That makes it about 1/7th the risk of non-boating-related fatal drowning for children, and about 1/40th the risk of all serious drownings (fatal or requiring significant medical assistance).

            But it's no secret that people - including many commenting on this story - are complete crap at estimating or researching risks, or determining what a proportionate response to risk would be. I blame the educational systems of the past ... um ... forever.

            1Captain Nancy Blackett, Amazon pirate, was never without hers. And that was in the '30s and '40s.2

            2And no doubt Taqui Altounyan, on whom Nancy was based, always carried one too.

    2. Squander Two

      Re: What?

      > Last time I was in a school working which was 5 years ago they had something we call LAND LINES which could dial 911 in case of an emergency

      The jammer was affecting a wider area than just the school. So a man has a heart attack in the street outside. A helpful passer-by should just run home and use their LAND LINE, should they?

      1. John Tserkezis

        Re: What?

        "A helpful passer-by should just run home and use their LAND LINE, should they?"

        Let me guess. You're in your early 20's and have never had a cellular outage in your life? Or flat batteries. Or expired credits. Nice life you live there. Treasure it, you might not have it forever.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: What?

          I'm in my late 30's but have had a cell phone since I was around 20. Cell towers in my area have backup power. If they go out, there's something more serious than just a tower outage going on, plus I have the benefit of WiFi Calling. Any active hotspot becomes a cell for me. I keep a backup battery since I know heavy use will sap the charge. I am postpaid month-to-month so as long as I pay the bill I'm kosher.

          1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

            Re: What?

            Cell towers in my area have backup power. If they go out, there's something more serious than just a tower outage going on

            In the past decade, we've had storm-related power outages that lasted long enough to drain the tower batteries at least three times. In all three cases, you can bet we were damn glad we had a POTS line and a conventional (no additional power required) phone attached to it.

            So, no, it doesn't require "something more serious".

            But please, continue to generalize from your limited experience, rather than doing any, y'know, research.

    3. Tom 13

      Re: What?

      Read the story again. The idiot took out a CELL TOWER, not just service to the school. That means people, homes, and businesses OTHER than the school.

  8. dan1980

    His problem is with the school/district board. Get together with other teachers and, preferably, parents (at a PTA) and get consensus. Then submit a proposal to the headmaster or the board directly.

    The resulting rules can be quite straight-forward. Anyone caught dicking around on their phone during class gets a detention notice. If you have to take an urgent call, let the teacher know and he/she will excuse you from class for a minute. If you are expecting an urgent call, then let the teachers know and they will accommodate you provided it is reasonable.

    Don't block everything just because you find the existing rules cumbersome.

    1. Roq D. Kasba

      May need a bit of work - the 'urgent call' caveat will cause problems - at 14 the important stuff is exactly the shit that's irrelevancy as an adult, and arguments on the respective merits of the urgency of social life (Mikey just dumped me omg I am going to die) will just move the problem a few inches. Also, it means people will be checking phones to see which texts and calls are coming in, in case they're 'urgent'. You know they will. There's no space for leeway because it will be applied inconsistently, and so abused. That's what testing boundaries is about!

      So, I'm sympathetic in theory, but it needs more work ;-)

    2. Tom 13

      @dan1980

      Actually his problem is he's a lazy slob. If you read the article all the way to the end you'll see the school DOES have a policy. It seems reasonable to me and sounds like it should solve the problem. He just couldn't be arsed to implement it.

  9. Captain DaFt

    Oh, however did we survive?

    Back before the late '90s or so, no cellphones in class, and yet we're here today, alive and mostly well.

    Seems the simplest solution would be a complete ban on cellphones in school, but the helicopter parents would undergo a freakout of major proportions to such a solution, wouldn't they?

    1. Charles 9

      Re: Oh, however did we survive?

      It was the helicopter parents that broke existing bans (due to pagers and cell phones being tied to the drug trade) after incidents like Columbine. Parents now are too anxious to trust their kids to outsiders yet have no time to school them at home.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Oh, however did we survive?

      For me it would depend on the teachers, if I could trust them, then yeah I would not let my son have his phone in class, if I didn't trust them (which would mean teachers like I had) then I would insist he carried it (just on silent to not disrupt class)..

      Seriously some of my teachers at school were so incompetent I wonder how they survived to adulthood...

  10. Winkypop Silver badge
    Headmaster

    In the 1970's

    We would get in trouble for passing notes..... the precursor to SMS.

    Imagine that kids, a world without the Net.

    1. Adam 1

      Re: In the 1970's

      ... And when caught the offending note would be read aloud for the convenience of the author and recipient.

      1. Stuart Castle Silver badge

        Re: In the 1970's

        I had a teacher that could, without turning away from the board, detect almost any form of communication between pupils then throw a chalk at (and usually hit) the person who initiated the communication. In a way, it was almost cool as it was like a superpower, but we learned quickly to not attempt any communication as it was also painful.

        1. Squander Two

          Re: In the 1970's

          Sounds very familiar. Wasn't a geography teacher, was he?

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: In the 1970's

          What happened when the kid was a pro himself (say a pitcher), able to catch the chalk and THROW IT BACK?

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: In the 1970's

        Oh yes, grade 5, a derogatory note passed around about the teacher herself.

        Ms Bakker: Go on, read it out loud!

        The co-conspirators, me included, almost died of shame!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: In the 1970's

          Shamed? Most would be PROUD to turn the tactic against them by being FORCED to diss their teacher. AND not back down.

    2. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

      Re: In the 1970's

      We would get in trouble for passing notes..... the precursor to SMS.

      Imagine that kids, a world without the Net.

      Yeah. These days, if you want to write one of those "Do you like me? Check one: ____ yes ____ no" notes, you have to cobble together a goddamned HTML form.

  11. Ru'

    Surely the main point here is the science teacher is obviously pretty incompetent. He should understand the basics of radio transmission, and even if he doesn't then surely he understands the importance of testing during experiments to ensure things are working as planned.

    Or was he a science teacher along the lines of "if it's in the good book it's fact, if it isn't then it can be ignored"?

    1. rcomm

      Things did work as planned. Phones in his room were blocked. Take your point though, as his plan was was short-sighted and crap.

  12. chivo243 Silver badge
    FAIL

    a concept called Classroom Management?

    I've worked in a school, and know that some teachers are great at managing the classroom environment. I know that some teachers can't find their ass with two hands. So if you can't manage your classroom, then you must cry to the school to make a policy...

    1. Tom 13

      Re: a concept called Classroom Management?

      The school made a policy. He failed to implement it. More precisely, he couldn't be arsed to do so:

      "It is also unproductive to confiscate a cell phone, put it in the school approved box and keep it until the end of the period"

  13. codejunky Silver badge

    Shame

    The guy tried something which makes sense and with good intentions. Also I can understand why he may not have known it was against the law since there are so many with regular updates that everyone is bound to step on the wrong side at some point in some small way at least. It is a shame he has been suspended for a week but hopefully the school will sit down with him and look to address the problem.

    I am glad nobody is going after him on this. He is a teacher and trying to teach. That is not something we want attacking. I hope he finds an acceptable solution.

    1. Tom 13

      Re: Shame

      No, he was a lazy arse:

      "It is also unproductive to confiscate a cell phone, put it in the school approved box and keep it until the end of the period."

      Verizon and FCC should have thrown the legal book at him.

  14. TeeCee Gold badge
    Facepalm

    Why not fix the root cause of the problem?

    Jamming devices are illegal because they can prevent people from calling emergency services, posing a public safety hazard.

    Make jammers legal and tell anyone too mind-numbingly stupid to work it out for themselves to move out of jamming range if they really, really need to make a call.

    1. Stuart Castle Silver badge

      Re: Why not fix the root cause of the problem?

      And when someone walks by needing to make an urgent call and is unaware the signal is being jammed? OK, you could put signs up in the building where the jammer is, but radio signals do have a habit of penetrating walls, so can quite easily leave a building. The jamming signal may stop at the building wall. It might also prevent mobile reception within a several hundred metre radius. It might even, as this jammer did, take out a cell tower, in which case, it will affect reception for (potentially) several miles. Would you be willing to cover half your town with signs?

      Jamming is not a good answer. What is a good answer is to educate people to use their phones considerately.

      1. Charles 9

        Re: Why not fix the root cause of the problem?

        "What is a good answer is to educate people to use their phones considerately."

        And in today's society, education is a pipe dream. Most people DON'T WANT to learn.

        1. Dan Paul

          Re: Why not fix the root cause of the problem? (Yes, why don't we?)

          The root cause of the problem is the lack of proper parenting. If you can't be a proper parent, don't EVER have kids.

          The problems with education are that we teach to the lowest common denominator (The worst students hold back the rest who could learn at a higher level) instead of separating students by their abilities (that would be "discrimination"), we don't expel the ones that disrupt classes (Why do we protect them at the detriment of everyone else?), we have too many gutless teachers that can't control the class because they are too wimpy (That's what you get from the "Everyone gets a trophy" mindsets). We won't teach parenting in school because it would be too "sexist", and we allow and even accommodate the "hovering" parents that overprotect their children.

          When parents have proper control over their children, those children already know how to act and they respect their elders and authority. Therefore those children will most likely be successful. The teachers of those children will be able to educate them and the students will be productive members of society.

          This is not because these parents are rich or white, it is solely due to the fact that they were brought up right by THEIR parents and grandparents. This is true regardless of race or status.

          The students of "absent" parents usually do not learn any respect for elders or authority as their "parent" are too busy caving in to their children's demands. Their "parents" let them do as they will and leave them effectively "crippled" as they will rarely be able to fit in and hold down a job or get a good education. Society labels them as "victims" and reinforces that until they believe it themselves. They frequently turn to crime as a means of "employment". The cultural "glorification" of drug dealers and thugs (the "easy" way out of the 'hood) only serves to perpetuate their downward spiral. Hollywood has rarely done anything to glorify the teaching profession, authority figures or a good education.

          There is NO easy way out when you have multiple generations that are literally addicted to societal support systems and single parenting has become the norm in many inner city areas. The only way out is through hard work and determination.

          Only you can determine your own future, stop being a "victim" and take control of your own destiny. Stop making excuses for bad or inappropriate behavior and speak plainly and directly. Reality TV is ANYTHING but real. The "Kardashians" or other shows like it are hardly worth watching let alone emulating and the only thing you'll learn is how to be a bigger idiot.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Why not fix the root cause of the problem? (Yes, why don't we?)

            "The root cause of the problem is the lack of proper parenting. If you can't be a proper parent, don't EVER have kids."

            But that goes against the biological drive, not to mention the INALIABLE "pursuit of happiness".

            "The problems with education are that we teach to the lowest common denominator (The worst students hold back the rest who could learn at a higher level) instead of separating students by their abilities (that would be "discrimination"), we don't expel the ones that disrupt classes (Why do we protect them at the detriment of everyone else?), we have too many gutless teachers that can't control the class because they are too wimpy (That's what you get from the "Everyone gets a trophy" mindsets)."

            They're wimpy because angry parents tend to sue AND have a winning record to back them up. Plus separating them inevitably leads to students who fall off the bottom: the rejects who either lack the capability or the temprament for our society. What does society do with the idiots and the rebels?

            "There is NO easy way out when you have multiple generations that are literally addicted to societal support systems and single parenting has become the norm in many inner city areas. The only way out is through hard work and determination."

            But they DEMAND the easy way out or they'll vote you out. It creates a vicious cycle with civilization itself on the line. About the only way out that I see would involve usurpation of some kind (taking away the parents' powers for their own good), and that has problems of its own.

      2. Tom 13

        Re: so can quite easily leave a building

        Exactly. From El Reg's article:

        the device was blocking reception on a nearby cell tower.

        So because this idiot was a lazy arse, he cut off not only his recalcitrant students, but everybody who had service that depended on that tower.

    2. iranu

      Re: Why not fix the root cause of the problem?

      Ooh, yeah! All right!

      We're jammin':

      I wanna jam it wid you.

      We're jammin', jammin',

      And I hope you like jammin', too.

      Ain't no rules, ain't no vow, we can do it anyhow:

      I'n'I will see you through,

      'Cos everyday we pay the price with a little sacrifice,

      Jammin' till the jam is through.

      We're jammin' -

      To think that jammin' was a thing of the past;

      We're jammin',

      And I hope this jam is gonna last...........

  15. Jim 59

    Hero

    Guy's a hero, though a little daft for not wondering if the jamming went beyond his classroom.

    Obviously cell phones should be banned in the school, all schools.Would also fix 50,000 other problems at the same time.

    1. Tom 13

      Re: Hero

      The guys a lazy arse, not a hero. The school had a policy to collect phones in a basket at the start of class. He was too self-important to do so.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Missing the important bit of information here...

    How the hell do you manage to get a telco to visit just because some students can't send snapchats.....?

    I struggle to get my mobile telco to pick up the phone let alone come out and visit.

    1. Charles 9

      Re: Missing the important bit of information here...

      If the article's accurate, it was that the jammer was too powerful and situated too close to a cell tower. IOW, he ended up interfering with an entire cell, resulting in dropped calls, failed connections, and so on. When an entire cell is affected, customers may start going over Verizon to the FCC. Few things get a company's attention like a possible visit from the regulators.

  17. Joey M0usepad Silver badge

    stop the world i want to get off!

    All this debate just shows the moderrn world has not caught up with technology. We'll look back in 25 years and think " What were we doing?" or "it was like the wild west back then" or similar.

    You cant begin to see the effects on society of this mass / constant communication until decades later.

    I'm not saying its a bad thing - it'll be fun to observe....

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    Next time

    He should build himself an EMP cannon out of the microwave in the staff kitchen.

    Yeah, I know turning the classroom into a Faraday cage would be more effective, but the cannon could also be used on parents cars that turn up at school with the radio on 11.

    I have the plans for a cannon I picked up from the web before everybody started cens.............

  19. Missing Semicolon Silver badge
    Mushroom

    Something doesn't ring true....

    "Verizon visited the school to investigate service disruptions"

    No, that's never gonna happen. Somebody tipped them off that a jammer was in use. Mere lousy coverage is of no great import to the moderm mobile network!

    1. Tom 13

      Re: Something doesn't ring true....

      Apparently you need a refund on your education. They failed to teach you reading comprehension:

      the device was blocking reception on a nearby cell tower.

      If they provide free remedial classes, hopefully your instructor won't be as much of lazy arse as this guy was.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Teacher claimed it was done as a tribute to Bob Marley

    I guess you could say that Verizon...

    (puts on sunglasses)

    ...didn't like jammin' too.

    YEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

  21. sk04hg09q
    Thumb Up

    "Today's word is Cooperation"

    Schools in Norway are adopting "mobile phone hotels" as a solution to this problem, with the agreement of the pupil's councils. One of them is a school in the town of Ål in Hallingdal.

    http://www.dagbladet.no/2015/06/01/nyheter/skole/hotell/mobil/mobilfri/39447810/

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Really?

    "...will receive admiration from millions of parents".

    You mean the same parents who provide the phones and pay for them that every child from the age of six years old has and is addicted too? Those are the parents with not so great judgment that you believe will be thankfully that little Johnny and Mary were unable to text and talk thus perhaps actually learning something of value while in school? Don't believe it for a minute. Cellphones are entertainment for the clueless and a baby sitter for many parents who abdicate their parenting responsibilities.

  23. David 45

    Keep 'em out of the classroom

    I can sympathise with this. A friend of mine is qualified to teach English as a foreign language and does so in her home, accepting students from abroad who also "live-in" for the course, which, hopefully, also gives them a feel for the country. She has been tearing her hair out of late because students have actually used their phones on calls and texts whilst she is trying to teach on a one-to-one basis! One particular young female student recently decided she was "homesick" after only one day in the UK, after incessantly texting her boyfriend morning, noon and night (or so it seemed!) and suddenly deciding that she wanted to go back home, thereby depriving my friend of most of her income for the week. This probably wouldn't have happened had the student not been perpetually glued to her phone for what seemed like 24 hours a day, including far into the night and the early hours when she should have been asleep. I called in on the first day and she was trying to do a large-size jigsaw puzzle, still holding her phone in one hand, valiantly texting away! As my friend said, how can she possibly teach English all the while the student is distracted by making calls and texting in her own language? I suggested that, in future, some sort of stipulation be made to the company that organises the courses to the effect that phones are NOT to be used in what is supposed to be teaching time. Perhaps an additional deposit to be forfeited if it happens. Mobile phones have got a lot to answer for.

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