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In 2004, the Congress decided that "Constitution Day" should be observed in schools each year on September 17 with educational programs about the history and signing of the Constitution. To help celebrate Constitution Day, eight newspapers and the New Hampshire Supreme Court have sponsored an annual "Constitution Day Essay Contest" for grades 5-12 on a topic related to our constitutional rights as citizens.
Teachers and students take note! Here's a fun way to discuss and debate some difficult questions and learn a few things about the remarkable document that has governed our nation for 224 years.
Winning essays will be published in the participating newspapers and winners will be invited, along with parents and teachers, to a special reception at the state Supreme Court and to the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications First Amendment Awards.
| Read last year's winning essays » | See photos of previous years » |
About 75 percent of 12-17 year olds own a cell phone and 72 percent of all teens use their cell phone for text messaging, according to a 2010 study on the Internet and American Life conducted by the Pew Research Center. Students show up in school well-equipped with mobile phones, IPods and MP3 players, according to a recent survey of more than 8,000 teachers in England, but many students don't come to school with equipment as basic as a pen to do their schoolwork. Instead of focusing on their teacher and their textbooks, students are text messaging, sending photos to each other, even watching television.
Teens and parents, however, say cell phones and texting are important forms of communication for families. In fact, many parents use cell phones to maintain contact with their children throughout the school day and also say cell phones are an important safety link with their children. Teachers and students say mobile devices, which provide instant access to information on the Internet, are important modern day educational tools. A recent report in the New York Times cited teachers who use "Twitter" in classroom discussion to promote discussions and give a "voice" to students who otherwise would never participate in class.
But, many teachers and school administrators say cell phones and other mobile communication devices are "a disruptive force" that must be controlled, or even banned from school. According to a study by Common Sense Media, 35 percent of students with cell phones admit they used their cell phones at least once to cheat - they store notes on their phones to use during tests and text friends for answers. Drug deals are set up by text messages; kids are texted to join in fights in school. These devices are also used for "cyberbullying" and "sexting" inappropriate photos.
All around the country, there have been debates about school policies on mobile devices. Sometimes these debates have turned into court cases:
• In New York City , mobile devices are banned from all schools and some schools use metal detectors to screen students before they enter a school building. Parents, concerned about safety, brought a court case and argued that the ban violated their constitutional right "to provide for the care, custody and control of their children" under the 14th amendment to the US Constitution, one of the oldest "fundamental liberty interests" recognized by the US Supreme Court. Parents also said the "no cell phone" policy interferes with their ability to communicate with their children. The teachers' union called cell phones a "lifeline for many parents and students." The New York School Board argued that the courts should not be involved in decisions about school administration. The court agreed with the School Board, saying the board had the authority to impose the cell phone ban and that the ban did not "directly and substantially interfere" with the rights claimed by the parents. The court said schools officials had made a "reasonable" determination that the cell phone ban was needed to "maintain order in the schools."
• In Arkansas, the courts upheld the right of a school to confiscate a student's cell phone for two weeks. The state Supreme Court there said nothing in state law prevents schools from confiscating cell phones and from penalizing students who violate school policies that ban cell phones.
• In Pennsylvania, a court said that school officials who confiscated a student's cell phone and then looked for text messages and listened to voice mail had violated the student's right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.
Some things to think about:
• Is a ban on cell phones in school a violation of a student's First Amendment rights? Does it violate free speech rights of students or parents?
• Should courts be involved in reviewing school cell phone policies? Explain.
• Should these decisions about school policy be up to the local school districts to decide? Should the state government get involved?
• What happens if a school confiscates a mobile device and then reads some of the messages - or calls some of the numbers?
Research materials:
US Constitution
http://1.usa.gov/krfjhI
Pew Internet and American Life Project: Teens, Cell Phones and Texting
http://bit.ly/lb1BKj
Common Sense Media: Survey shows Teens use cell phones to cheat
http://bit.ly/m2wsuU
Academic cheating, aided by cell phones or Web, shown to be common (Los Angeles Times)
http://lat.ms/j3gFGz
PBS Teachers: Mobile Devices in School: What Policy Would You Create?
http://to.pbs.org/lJOpHI
New York City Schools: Cell Phone regulations
http://bit.ly/mjh7K5
New Hampshire School Boards Association: Sample Policy-Communication Devices
http://bit.ly/mnwjWK
Speaking up in Class, Silently, Using Social Media (New York Times)
http://nyti.ms/iWNGZG.
School Leadership Briefing: Electronic Communication Devices and School Policies
http://bit.ly/mlriMu
Article: Free Speech and Privacy Dimensions of Student Misuse of their own Electronic Communications Devices in Elementary and Secondary School
http://bit.ly/kZqBuY
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Essay Contest Rules
Eligibility : All students in grades 5-12 in the circulation areas of participating newspapers.
Deadline for Submissions : Essays must be postmarked by Oct. 3, 2011
Rules :
1. Each essay should be type written and no longer than 300 words. Submissions will be judged on understanding of the issue, clear writing and thinking, presentation, grammar and spelling.
2. Each essay should be the sole product of the student's work.
3. Submissions should include the writer's name, age, grade, school, home address, home telephone, parent e-mail address, teacher name and teacher e-mail address. Winners will be notified by telephone.
4. Employees of participating newspapers and immediate family members are not eligible to win.
5. One essay per student.
6. Each essay may be submitted to only one newspaper listed below. The student must live in that newspaper's circulation area.
7. Essays will not be returned.
Each participating newspaper will select a winner from essays submitted for grades 5-8 and for grades 9-12. A statewide winner for each group will then be selected by a justice of the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
For information and to register for a workshop, The Constitution for Teachers, on Aug. 10 at the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications, go to www.loebschool.org.
| Concord Monitor David Sangiorgio Circulation Director P.O. Box 1177 Concord, NH 03302-1177 (603) 224-5301 dsangiorgio@cmonitor.com |
New Hampshire Union Leader Teresa Robinson Community Relations Manager Box 9555 Manchester, NH 03108 (603) 206-7833 trobinson@unionleader.com |
| Derry News The Eagle-Tribune Pauline Minch NIE Manager 100 Turnpike Street North Andover, MA 01845 (978) 946-2000 pminch@eagletribune.com |
Portsmouth Herald Howard Altschiller Executive Editor 111 New Hampshire Ave. Portsmouth, NH 03801 (603) 570-2202 haltschiller@seacoastonline.com |
| The Keene Sentinel Jim Rousmaniere President & Editor P.O. Box 546 Keene, NH 03431 (603) 352-1234 jrousmaniere@keenesentinel.com |
The Telegraph Phil Kincade Executive Managing Editor Box 1008 Nashua, NH 03061 (603) 882-2741 pkincade@nashuatelegraph.com |
| Valley News Jeffrey Good Editor 24 Interchange Drive West Lebanon, NH 03784 (603) 727-3222 jgood@vnews.com |
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Learn all about the Constitution from a website created by retired US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Conner: http://www.ourcourts.org/
Text of the US Constitution
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution_transcript.html
NH Department of Education
Constitution Day resources, programs and lesson plans for teachers
NHPTV Knowledge Network
Visit www.nhptv.org/kn/constitution for links to online classroom video on the U.S. Constitution, lesson plans, and reviewed websites.
2007 Updates and information from The Bill of Rights Institute
New Hampshire Bar Association
Find more online resources about the U.S. Constitution
Information from the National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, PA
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/constitutionday/display/MainS/Home
Education Resources for use on Constitution Day
http://www.justicelearning.org/ConstitutionDay/index.asp
Guide to the Constitution and "civic education in the real world."
http://www.justicelearning.org
Information on the US Constitution provided by the federal court system
http://www.uscourts.gov/outreach/resources/constitutionday.html
Bibliography of sources at the NH Law Library
http://nhlawlibrary.blogspot.com/2007/09/constitution-day-essay-announced.html