About Cell Phones

I received some interesting feedback on yesterday’s post about cell phone use during board of education meetings. One respondent pointed out that it isn’t merely cell phones that pose a problem; any computer use has similar potential for members to post to social media and also to use private messaging. They suggested the creation of a code of conduct rather than an outright ban.

Another reader suggested that disallowing cell phones during meetings would be a barrier to members who are parents of young children. The ability for a child to reach out with a homework question or something that was troubling them (not just emergencies) is a part of our current world in a way that it didn’t used to be. Things have changed and parents need to be immediately reachable, they felt.

I absolutely see that point of view although I don’t know if I agree. I also don’t have young children anymore so perhaps I am not the best judge of that.

I will share a story from my own personal experience that came to mind after I wrote yesterday’s post.

When my younger daughter was 2-3 I worked doing after-school care for the Columbia Association. I would drop her off with my husband at his school, head to work, then he and my high school daughter would hold the fort until I got home around 6:30. It was a complicated dance that tired everyone out. Anyone who works and has young children knows the drill.

It’s complicated.

But one night I didn’t come home. They waited and waited and I didn’t come. My husband drove over to the school where I worked and my car wasn’t there. He called my cell phone. No answer.

They had no idea where I was.

Somehow they threw together dinner and big sister gave little sister her bath only to discover, laid neatly on the bed, clean pajamas and a book for a bedtime story. The title of the book: Where is Mom?

It was not the best evening at my house. 

Meanwhile, I was at a long-scheduled training for CA team members at Historic Oakland. I had told my family about it but hadn’t reminded them on day itself. When the training began the presenter sternly told everyone to turn their cellphones off in order to be fully present. 

I’m generally a rule-follower. I turned my phone off.

It was a great presentation. I learned a lot about Columbia. But when I arrived home that evening to an anguished and distraught family I realized what a big mistake I had made. I should have reminded everyone, I should have left a note, and, most of all, I should never have turned off my phone.

The direction to turn off phones was more than likely aimed at the high school and college employees at the training who had been observed to be more phone-dependent. It was not an appropriate request for the parent of a young child. Silencing the ringer would have been enough.

So, I don’t have the perfect answer for the use of electronic devices during board meetings but I do think we need to talk about it. A code of conduct seems like a reasonable way to approach the problem.