The New York City Department of Education passed a rule in September 2005 banning cell phones from school, calling the phones a distraction and saying they only give more opportunities to cheat.

Of course, parents and students raised an uproar, saying they needed to be able to get in touch with each other at all times. So parents, yet again, attempted to take away rights of the teachers and interfered where they shouldn’t.

Parents took their case to the New York Appellate Courts, where the court sided with the schools, saying that nothing about the ban interferes with any of the rights claimed by the parents, nor does it prevent students and their parents from communicating before and after school.

We couldn’t agree more. When is it necessary for parents to communicate with their children 24/7? Back in the old days, if parents really needed to get in touch with their kids, it was common practice to call the school office and get a message to them that way. That practice caused minimal interference and allowed students to get through the school day without text-message or phone call interruptions.

“We are extremely disappointed,” said Norman Siegel, a lawyer for the parents and students. “We strongly believe the ban is unconstitutional and illegal, and we will not rest until the prohibition is reversed.”

Parents need to learn teachers have rights as well. So many cases have popped up over the years that have all but eliminated several rights teachers used to have, like disciplining students. When parents allow themselves to be controlled by the whims of their children, it’s time to sit back and re-assess.

When students are constantly distracted in class, whether it be through cell phone us or passing notes in class, quality of education can’t help but suffer.

Students in the New York school system resorted to sneaking their phones inside by hiding them in lunches and under their clothes, which shows how much high school students and younger students don’t respect the rules of school. High school students usually are not responsible enough to keep their phones tucked away and pay attention.

Also, cell phone use in school can contribute to cheating. It’s fairly easy to send a text message to someone else in the room with a few test answers or to take a picture of the answers and send that.

Allowing cell phones in high school classrooms is a detriment to education and further diminishes respect for an education.