Maurits Acosta
Senior at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School
Student advisor, Miami-Dade County School Board
Hialeah
“While I think teachers and the school district should absolutely be able manage screen time and cell phone usage in the classroom, I am not in favor of a cell phone restriction like the one implemented in Broward County,” Maurits Acosta wrote in an email.
“Restricting cell phone usage for all grade levels, even during lunch/recreational time, is not realistic for the times we live in.
“Teachers already have the ability of restricting cell phone usage in their classrooms and can take disciplinary actions if their rules are not followed.”
Roberto Alonso
Board Member, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
Miami Lakes
“I actually proffered an item last month on screen time,” Roberto Alonso said.
“We’re taking a little bit of a different angle. The board unanimously voted on this. We’re not banning cell phones.
“I feel that by doing that, we’d be putting our students at a disadvantage. We get so much out of our phones.
"There is also another component to it from the health standpoint. Many of our students are diabetic [and monitor sugar levels through their phone].”
Alexandra Herrera interviewed our Town Topics talkers who shared their photos; Magaly Rubio’s picture is courtesy of Tico Casamayor. We thank you all!
Magaly Rubio
Realtor, Grandparent
Miami Lakes
“Absolutely, they should be turned off inside the classroom,” Magaly Rubio said.
“It’s a distraction for the kids.
“They can keep the phones, but the phones should be off or silenced.”
Melisa Aponte
Realtor Associate, Parent
Hialeah Gardens
“I believe so, I think it would be the right thing,” Melisa Aponte said.
“I feel that the cell phones cause a lot of distraction.
“When teachers have to stop their work, which is teaching, to reprimand students it just becomes problematic.
“In reality, I believe it’s out of respect they’re there to learn [and] they should be able to stay focused on what they’re there for.”
Alejandro Simon
Lobby security attendant
The Graham Companies
Parent
Miami Lakes
“It’s one of those topics. You want to give [the kids] freedom, but on the other side I understand what Broward is doing and I also agree with that,” Alejandro Simon said.
“I like that initiative but ... cell phones are part of our daily life.
“It’s something that is useful. If they respect the teacher and the teacher says no cell phones in class, at the end of the day what my concern is their respect, from the student to the teacher.
“If the teacher allows it, then the teacher is going to have some rules and regulations on how to use it.”