NEW YORK, May 29 (UPI) -- New York City parents are balking at the public school system's crackdown on the possession of cell phones by students.
The parents say their children need to have cell phones so they can keep track of them and coordinate busy schedules.
Although most school districts ban the use of cell phones in the classroom, New York mandates that students not even have cell phones in their pockets or backpacks, The Los Angeles Times reported.
The 1988 ban had been routinely ignored until last month when Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed bringing portable scanners randomly into city schools to find unauthorized objects.
The crackdown has set off parent protests, threats of lawsuits by public interest lawyers and demonstrations at City Hall, the newspaper said.
Principals have reported a range of problems caused by cell phones in schools, including students using phones to text-message exam questions and answers to others, and taking pictures in locker rooms, the newspaper said.
