2morecents:
“They should make sure there are ample payphones available throughout.”
Payphones cost money. Where is this money coming from? Are you advocating taking money from schools that can be put to better uses, and instead put in phones?
“It seems to me that other than people involved in medicine or emergency types of professions, the entire concept of needing a phone with them 24 hours a day wherever they go is crazy.”
I want my kids to be reachable while they are out of the house, and I want to be reachable to them. They have to travel to school through some dangerous areas. If they travel to the city, I want to be able to reach them, and vice versa. If they have a question about finding a place to eat or they need to know when the next bus home is, they need to reach me. Of course, cv”s if there is an emergency, both sides need to be reachable.
“The fact that no matter where you are or what your doing you can be interrupted by a phone call in your pants pocket seems quite odd to me.”
You don’t have to be interrupted. You can turn the phone off (especially in shule!), or not answer the call. I certainly don’t answer every call, especially when I am busy. The phone does not dictate my life.
FWIW, I agree with you about families getting tzedaka should not have cell phones.