Phones are not allowed at school, but students still use them every single day - and not just for socializing-- for school-related work.  Nowadays, students say cell phones are not a luxury, but a need.  (86 out of 100 students own a form, according to a random survey.) 

59 out of 100 students say they use their phone as a tool in school to "figure things out" or look up information or definitions.   On the flip side, 72 of 100 students admit they text "illegally" in class.

"I use my phone to look up definitions," senior Gloria Buenida said, "but I don't use it that much."

Students really came up with some really good ideas on how cell phones can be used positively at school.

"I use cha-cha definitions: I text the word, and they send me a text back with the definition," senior Kimberly Gianan said. "I take pictures of notes, sometimes teachers write notes very fast, and I don't have time to write them all."

The majority of the students interviewed agreed that phones should be used as calendars, to access the internet, dictionaries, as a calculator, and in extreme situation, to call - in case of an emergency.

"We could use our phones as IReaders or as a way to read some article from the internet," sophomore Irving Sanchez said.

Principal Frank Zarate agrees that technology is improving therefore Morton East policies might change in the future.

"Policies on phones might change a year, or five years, from now," Mr. Zarate said.

He recognizes that there are some applications that can be used during school hours.

"I know phones have many applications that can be used in class such as calculator and dictionaries, but cell phones are supposed to be kept in the students locker - locked," Mr. Zarate said.

Some schools are letting their students use their phones during school hours.

"Both Hinsdale Central and South high schools let their students use their cell phones in lunch and over the passing periods," Mr. Zarate said.

But, for now, there are clear reasons why cell phones are against the rules at East.

"Teachers can't be everywhere; students who hide texting could be sharing answers with other students.  In addition, there are some students that don't use their cell phone cameras properly," Mr. Zarate said.

The key problems teachers have with unsanctioned cell phone use in schools include sending friends text messages during class time, sending or receiving test answers, bullying or harassment via unwanted text messaging, taking and distributing inappropriate digital photos of students.

But cell phones can help a lot; many people opted for helpful ways to use their phones in class: as calculators (social studies students studying elections can determine electoral vote percentages), as digital cameras (students can document a variety of things for multimedia presentations or reports), for internet access (science students might conduct observations or collect data for experiments; students can view podcasts), and as dictionaries (students who are English learners especially can benefit from translation dictionaries).

But, students should make sure their hands are clean.  This just in: 

One out of six phones is contaminated with e-coli (fecal matter -- look it up on your phone; it's gross) a baceria that can cause diarrhea and sickness, say scientists from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine at the University of London (The Huffington Post).  People go to the bathroom and don't wash their hands well enough; bathroom bacteria (the e-coli) on your hands is then later passed to your phone when you use it.  (Think of how close the phone is to your mouth!) 

"That's nasty.  I don't use my phone in the bathroom," sophomore Rosa Chaidez said.

According to the report, although 95% of people said they washed their hands,  92% of phones and 82% of hands had the bacteria on them.

"A student in my class dropped her phone but I didn't pick it up because I don't know where it has been," Mr. Frankfother, an English teacher, said.