text: The cell phone is used for calling and messaging. Sure, most of the calls are related to social issues, but there is also a chance their could be an emergency in tact. What if a loved one was in a car crash, or brutally hurt or ill? The school phone simply isn't useful in positions like this when something personal is supposed to be passed on. And if in free times and lunch, the phone is banned, there is simply no way to pass on the message in a dignified manner, and you will be the reason to blame if you don't choose banning cell phones only in class.