The New York Supreme Court's Appellate Division has upheld a ruling from September 2005 that allowed the New York City school district to ban mobile phones in public schools. The court disagreed with parents and students who claimed the ban interferes with their rights to communicate and noted that it does not prevent them from communicating before and after school. The school district is the nation's largest with more than 1,400 schools and 1.1 million students.
"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."
For more on the ban:
- read this WSJ article (sub. req.)