U.K. school bans cellular phones, iPods for security, "status" reasons

A secondary school in Sheffield, England, Meadowhead, is banning cellular phones and iPods because of security and "status" concerns, according to Sheffield Today.

Cellular phones are banned for a variety of reasons:  Students sending nasty SMS messages to other students, the threat of "happy slapping" (where a camera phone is used to record the reaction of someone who is slapped in the face) and "situations where mobiles with cameras have been used to record certain incidents," the article says.

The school also is banning iPods; I don't know whether "iPod" is used generically to mean banning all music players.  A headteacher, Cath James, says cellular phones and iPods are status symbols that can be lost, damaged or stolen and "we just don't want them here."

Who is out of control?

James says, "It seems as if the technology is moving beyond our means to control it."  She also says, "I accept that some people may accuse me of being a Luddite but I believe as adults we have to take a stand on what is acceptable and what is not. We want to be in control of what is happening."

Now that's an enlightened attitude:  If you can't understand or control technology, just ban it.

Perhaps Meadowhead School's next brilliant action will be to ask students for receipts for their clothing to make sure they aren't competing on "status" because of an expensive sweater or jogging shoe. 

Why stop there?

Or, better yet, just ban clothing because it, too, can be damaged and stolen. 

The school, according to the article, also bans students from wearing any jewelry.  Are wristwatches banned, too?  Watches indeed can be status symbols.

No problem -- students can just use sundials to determine the time.

I am reminded of a favorite quote of mine from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" where Puck exclaims:  "Lord, what fools these mortals be!"