using your cellphone at work

[Day]

She is attractive, but overweight. She has a really saucy personality and doesn't like to put up with bullshit. If you dish it, she can dish it right back. Her and I tend to disagree on a lot of things.

On everything but lunch amirite? inoimrite.

[Azalee]

On everything but lunch amirite? inoimrite.

Actually no. lmao. She is Mexican so everything is spicy and with lime. She puts pickles on her popcorn too.

Day,

[Day]

ok who the fuck puts pickles on their popcorn. seriously, she needs help, no longer a laughing matter.

[Azalee]

ok who the fuck puts pickles on their popcorn. seriously, she needs help, no longer a laughing matter.

She is from Texas.

[Darus Grey]

A little late to topic but...

I had a teacher take an electronic device from me once in school.
I called the police.
As a teacher myself just a warning to other teachers, it might be funny to you, but for all legal purposes you are a thief if you refuse to give it back the moment they ask.

[Korietsu]

She is from Texas.

Texans do not put pickles on their popcorn. =/. Quit slandering my state!

However, on the cellphone topic, my phone is on at all times, so that in the case of any emergency with friends or family, I can respond. In public places like classrooms or theaters, its on silent, and not even vibe, because the motor is broken and it still makes too much noise. If in a classroom situation, say at a college, you should leave the room to take the call or call after class. Texting if done discreetly and without distraction of others (read: sit in the back of class and keep yer trap shut.) isin't too bad.

However, some of you might get a kick out of my HS's cell policy. Any text sent within the school time are deemed eligible for reading, and the principal takes up those phones, and calls the text number, and gets everyone involved out of a phone and $15. Parents have to pay the release fee, and pick up the phone. Second time it happens, phone is permanently revoked till the end of the school year. Amazingly enough, those phones and people with smartphones got themselves in a load of trouble with the cops, because of photos of them linked to underage drinking through photo messages and facebook.

[Korietsu]

A little late to topic but...

I had a teacher take an electronic device from me once in school.
I called the police.
As a teacher myself just a warning to other teachers, it might be funny to you, but for all legal purposes you are a thief if you refuse to give it back the moment they ask.

I would have to disagree. In a college setting yes, but in a HS setting, most schools (at least here in Texas) require you to sign a contract to hold them immune to any lawsuits or criminal charges on the grounds that you are abiding by their rules, and as such, if you violate them, IE: not keeping your phone tucked away and not flashing it around in public, you fall under their policy, and there is nothing you can do about it.

[Aksannyi]

I really miss the days when this was not an issue. :/

[Katlan]

A bit late to add to the thread...
But I work at a Class action law firm as a paralegal, and we are allowed to chat on our phone as long as it isn't interferring w/our work or we are behind on deadlines. But my firm is also very laid back. But answering phone calls over dealing w/regular business that you are paid for is so rude and shouldnt be tolerated

[BarthelloSylph]

A little late to topic but...

I had a teacher take an electronic device from me once in school.
I called the police.
As a teacher myself just a warning to other teachers, it might be funny to you, but for all legal purposes you are a thief if you refuse to give it back the moment they ask.

You are lame. Why not take your punishment like a man?

[Darus Grey]

I would have to disagree. In a college setting yes, but in a HS setting, most schools (at least here in Texas) require you to sign a contract to hold them immune to any lawsuits or criminal charges on the grounds that you are abiding by their rules, and as such, if you violate them, IE: not keeping your phone tucked away and not flashing it around in public, you fall under their policy, and there is nothing you can do about it.

Does that apply to only the school? if so the teacher can still be culpable on a personal level.
Not familiar with Texas law but in NY at least you can't do this stuff. Well teachers do it all the time still, but they can be prosecuted if they refuse to give the item back on demand(and only the ignorance of the students keep this from happening often, or the collusion of the police who will make them give it back but refuse to file charges).

That said I agree with the policy of them not disturbing the class, but actually confiscating the item is nothing more than stealing.

You are lame. Why not take your punishment like a man?

Being a man means standing up for your rights, letting some over-zealous authority figure trample on you makes you a man? No, that makes you a fucking pussy. It's not like I was even disturbing anyone reading a fucking e-book in the back of class. Then again my school was fucked up in a lot of ways, I got a 7 day suspension for reading in class once. Technically insubordination because I refused to stop doing it several times.

[Tyche]

A little late to topic but...

I had a teacher take an electronic device from me once in school.
I called the police.
As a teacher myself just a warning to other teachers, it might be funny to you, but for all legal purposes you are a thief if you refuse to give it back the moment they ask.

Most teachers are being nice by taking them away and not calling your parents and sending you home for a few days. If you want to take it the legal route, your assertion is patently incorrect. You aren't a theif and it's not illegal.

[Azalee]

All throughout high school and in my first year of college I had to sign a syllabus for every class where it clearly stated that cell phones were not allowed in class. You sign your name saying that you agree to these terms, so if you are caught then you are caught.

[Darus Grey]

Most teachers are being nice by taking them away and not calling your parents and sending you home for a few days. If you want to take it the legal route, your assertion is patently incorrect. You aren't a theif and it's not illegal.

How exactly is it not illegal? You are forcefully taking possession of the property of someone else. It meets all qualifications of theft, and in my case, charges weren't pressed only because they agreed to give it back. Taking it isn't even the major legal part, it's the refusal to return it.

[Aksannyi]

I think maybe if the teacher never had any intention of giving it back you could call them out for stealing, but it's well within rights to take something out of the hands of a student if it is distracting the other students. Back when I went to school, it was no different than someone playing with a toy instead of paying attention.

Those kids never fucking played with their shit again in class. It's amazing how much you learn from not only the embarassment of being caught, but the desire not to "lose" your stuff again.

[Tyche]

Confiscation falls under discplinary action. If the school doesn't allow for cell phone use (which they wouldn't if it's being confiscated), then they are allowed to take it. They can't (or aren't supposed to) go through any personal information (phone numbers, text messages, phone logs, etc). The length of the seizure can vary school to school and state to state. Some states actually legislate this. In your case, it was probably a long time ago when not a lot of school conduct policies forbade such devices.

[Darus Grey]

Confiscation falls under discplinary action. If the school doesn't allow for cell phone use (which they wouldn't if it's being confiscated), then they are allowed to take it. They can't (or aren't supposed to) go through any personal information (phone numbers, text messages, phone logs, etc). The length of the seizure can vary school to school and state to state. Some states actually legislate this. In your case, it was probably a long time ago when not a lot of school conduct policies forbade such devices.

Well that's true, it was 12? or so years ago. Though I've stated the actual seizure isn't the illegal part. It's when you refuse to give it back(which in my school, confiscation meant you never got it back) that it becomes a crime.

[Tormentormike]

Seriously.

What kid needs a phone in school?

If there is an emergency, the principal can be called and school notified. They would be, anyway.

I still don't, and won't ever, see a point to have a cell phone in a high school / middle school class.

When my father got into a car accident my mother called/texted and left a voicemail informing me. The teacher wouldn't let me leave so I let my mother know she would have to call the school. She was frantic, so I know she wasn't just going to sit around and wait for a while to give them a call. 30 minutes later someone finally called down to release me from class.

That was all when I was like, still in middle school though. Similar situations happened in high school, and I would just let my teachers know I'm leaving, if they had a problem with it, oh well.

God forbid something ever happens to my grandparents or any family member, and I was in school at the time, and the teacher would not let me leave or had a problem and wanted to take my phone because it was out, may they rest in peace.

tl;dr - School systems are trash. Everyone who worked in the offices of my high school were lazy douchebags, who wanted nothing to do with any kid. They would let you know anything when they got around to it.

[BarthelloSylph]

I think most schools have no problem giving back phones, but they hope that the difficulty of getting it back will deter use.

Honestly though, if the school just took one student's phone and ran over that shit with a bus, then gave it back, I bet it would deter the hell out of the rest of the students.

[Tomk]

As with the confiscation or theft thing:

It is either a Government school or a private school. So this means one of two things. The US Government does what the fuck it wants. i.e. try to walk into a federal building with a camera and talk about theft when they take that shit. If it's a private shcool you have signed a contract. Also no one ever said they won't give it back and it doesn't have to be exactly when you ask for it immediately. They can make you jump through some hurdles up to and including long court proceedings.