Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Cell Phone Locker Plan Schools Still Absent From Schools

On the one hand, you have parents, who for safety concerns want their kids to carry cell phones to and from schools. On the other hand, Mayor Bloomberg wants to prohibit students bringing cell phones into all school buildings. A pilot program to install “cell phone lockers” on school premises was to serve as a compromise for the two sides. Not surprisingly, testing is now on hold until sometime next year. It seems that both government and Board of Education officials can’t figure out how to safeguard a row of lockers on their premises! A year, perhaps years of planning and then installation loom ahead now. Realistically, it should probably take just a few weeks or months to decide and act upon.

This latest example of the lack of leadership and decision making that’s needed here makes me wonder about two things. Do we really trust that this kind of management team is responsibly protecting the city’s students now? Will we, the citizens of New York City, ever learn our lesson and demand better service and accountability from those who work(?) for us?