You are wading through the halls during school, trying to get a hold of your parents about the time change for your school soccer game. Two situations: You reach for your cell phone and easily make a phone call to your mom and notify her about the schedule change. Or, you make your way to the office to call your mom on the school's phone but risk being late to class or not reaching your mom.

Question

Although not everyone has gone through that exact situation, every student has needed to contact someone immediately to share important news. Despite student's needs to use cell phones in schools, it has become a debate on whether or not they belong in schools. There are many advantages for cell phones in schools. However, these uses of cell phones have also been misused for wrong reasons. The question is: Should cell phones be allowed in schools?

One of the largest concerns with parents is that they need to get a hold of their children for emergency purposes. What if a parent cannot get to school in time for pickup and needed to go to the afterschool program instead of waiting outside? How many school group projects are unseen by parents because another student takes it home? Students can text a picture of the project to their parents. It provides a means of communication between parent and child, and if done appropriately, can only benefit the student.

The concerns of school administrators ring loud and clear. "Cell phones are disruptive to the school environment and create opportunities for cheating," Robert Mackey (School Principal). This thought is quite common amongst school teachers. Nonetheless, students can be responsible with their phones and place them on vibrate in their backpacks to prevent interruption in the classroom. If this privilege is misused, then they can also be confiscated. On the other issue of cheating, teachers can set a rule in their classroom of no cell phone use without teacher permission. That way if a student is caught with a cell phone in hand, they can reap the consequences of disobeying a classroom rule.

To those who want to banish cell phones in school, remember that there a many good reasons why a student would need a phone on hand. Not all students would use them to do bad things. In conclusion, with cell phones comes responsibility. Isn't that what students are learning in school? Responsibility?

Multiple Choice Question
How is the passage organized to best help the reader understand the information presented?

A.
It proceeds in chronological order.

B.
It provides persuasive arguments in favor of a topic.

C.
It progresses in order of importance.

D.
It provides causes and effects about a topic.

Answer 1

The correct answer is B. It provides persuasive arguments in favor of a topic.

The passage presents arguments supporting the idea that cell phones should be allowed in schools by discussing the benefits of communication for emergencies, parental involvement, and responsible use by students.