GUEST OPINION

Should cell phones should be allowed in schools?

Over 90% of students have a phone. Students should be able to use their phones during class whenever they want because if they have a phone they are probably independent and with that they should be able to text friends about school things, last minute plans or even emergencies. But lots of people would say the phones could be a distraction; students could misuse them, or even not get work done because they are on their phone. at could be true, but they are more helpful than you think. Students could use them for a calendar. With them having a calendar on their phones, they are more likely to remember what they put in their calendar because it will always be with them and they are more likely to lose the paper than their phone. is just means that students should be able to use their phones in class so we can put stu into our calendars whenever we need to and not wait because when we wait we are more likely to forget.

Letters

Investing in peacebuilding

Editor, Our nation’s budget should re ect the concerns of its citizens. We believe peacebuilding and reconciliation programs represent an important means to facilitate non-violent con ict resolution. ese programs e ectively create cultures of peace by bringing together ad-

Where To Write

Federal President Joe Biden (D), The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania. Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20500; Public comment desk, 202-456-1111; email form at whitehouse.gov/contact.

Website: joebiden.com.

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D), 511 Hart Senate O ce Building, Washington, DC 20510, 202-224-3441; Public comment form at cantwell.senate.gov/contact.

Website: cantwell.senate.gov.

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D), 154 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510, 202-224-2621; Public comment email form at murray.senate.gov/write-to-patty;

Website: murray.senate.gov.

U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (D), 2163 Rayburn HOB, Washington, DC 20515, 202-225-2605; Public comment email form at larsen. house.gov/contact.

Website: larsen.house.gov.

State Governor Jay Inslee (D), O ce of the Governor, PO Box 40002, Olympia, WA 985040002, 360-902-4111; Public contact email form at governor.wa.gov/contact.

Website: governor.wa.gov.

Kerri Barnes

When students can use their phones during class, they can use them for emergencies. But if you think about it, most people, not just students, can’t remember a phone number because they don’t see the point because it is on their phone and they can access it whenever they need to.

Charise Rohm Nulsen wrote in her Nov. 9, 2020, article titled Cell Phones at School: Should ey be Allowed?, “Knowing that you can reach loved ones in a heartbeat thanks to mobile phones during school hours can feel more important than ever in the current climate.” Phones can also be used for taking voice notes. Most students have a hard time focusing in class and with that they feel like they are missing out on information, and when they don’t get all the information they need they more and likely don’t have all the resources they need for when a test or quiz is coming up.

Others say that students want to check their phone every time it goes o and hearing the noti cations can distract other people from getting their work done. It versarial groups in safe spaces to address divisions and work toward common goals.

Investing in peace not only saves human su ering, but also saves U.S. taxpayer dollars. e Institute for Economics and Peace, in fact, has concluded that every dollar invested in peacebuilding “carries a potential $16 reduction in the cost of armed con ict.” Peacebuilding programs work, they save lives, and they are cost-e ective.

Unfortunately, U.S. support wa.gov/rule. makes other students want to stop what they are doing to see what the other student is doing. included for FY24: for this work has been persistently underfunded. In fact, our country spends 200 times more on war than on peacebuilding. We must do better.

Representative Joe Timmons (D), JLOB 419, PO Box 40600, Olympia, WA 98504-0600; Toll-free hotline: 800-562-6000, 360-7867854. Email: Joe.Timmons@ leg.wa.gov or public comment email at app.leg.wa.gov/ pbc/memberEmail/42/2. Or contact Legislative Assistant Hayden Jenkins at (360) 786-6854 or (360) 718-5299 or email Hayden.Jenkins@leg. wa.gov. Website: housedemocrats.wa.gov/timmons.

County Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu, 311 Grand Ave. Suite 108, Bellingham, WA 98225-4082, 360-778-5200; Email: ssidhu@co.whatcom. wa.us. Website: https://www. whatcomcounty.us/415/ County-Executive.

Whatcom County Council Member Kaylee Galloway District 1, 311 Grand Ave., Suite 105, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360-489-9192; Email: kgallowa@co.whatcom.wa.us. Website: https://www.whatcomcounty.us/3862/KayleeGalloway.

Nulsen also wrote that students “often forget to turn o their phones in class, and ringing noises or text message alerts disrupt learning and school work. Even if set to silent, cell phones can still cause distraction for students and educators, since text messaging has become a high-tech method of passing notes in school.” While this can be true, from me being in high school, I don’t hear many phones going o in class; all I see is students using them to listen to music.

As you can see 90% of students have a phone and with them having a phone they should be able to use them during class. Students should be able to use them for calendars, emergencies (texting a family member, not remembering a phone number). ese things are on the phone for a reason, so we should use them.

If teachers and students need to compromise about everything, then they can just talk to the teacher beforehand and work things out. But in the end we should just let them and see how things go.

-- Kerri Barnes is a junior at Meridian High School in Bellingham. Barnes originally wrote this piece in her junior English class.

We urge Rep. Rick Larsen to strongly advocate for an increase in peacebuilding funding at the House Appropriations SFOPs Subcommittee Member Day Hearing on March 8 as well as at ongoing budgetary talks. Speci cally, we urge the following appropriations be whatcomcounty.us/3322/ Kathy-Kershner. Whatcom County Council Member Ben Elenbaas District 5 (Ferndale/Custer), 311 Grand Ave., Suite 105, Bellingham, WA 98225, 360778-5025; Email: BElenbaa@ co.whatcom.wa.us; Website: https://www.whatcomcounty. us/3321/Ben-Elenbaas.

Whatcom County Council Member Barry Buchanan At Large Position A, 311 Grand Ave., Suite 105, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360-2244330; Email: bbuchanan@ co.whatcom.wa.us; Website: https://www.whatcomcounty. us/1975/Barry-Buchanan.

Whatcom County Coun- cil Member Carol Frazey At Large Position B, 311 Grand Ave., Suite 105, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360-778-5024; Email: cfrazey@co.whatcom. wa.us; Website: https://www. whatcomcounty.us/2996/ Carol-Frazey.

• $40 million to Reconciliation Programs

• $66 million to the Complex Crises Fund

• $25 million to Atrocities Prevention Programs

Each of these programs provide critical tools to meet today’s challenges and facilitate the development of a framework toward sustainable peace.

See Letters on A5

98276, 360-966-2531. Mayor Kevin Hester kevin@cityofnooksack.com. Clerk/Treasurer Virginia Arnason, email: virginia@cityofnooksack.com.

Website: cityofnooksack.com. City of Sumas, 433 Cherry St./ P.O. Box 9 Sumas, WA 98295, 360-988-5711; Mayor Bruce Bosch, email: Bbosch@ cityofsumas.com. Finance Director Jennifer Bell, email: jbell@cityofsumas.com. North Whatcom Public education

Blaine School District, 765 H St., Blaine, WA 98230, 360-332-5881. Superintendent Christopher Granger, email: cgranger@ blainesd.org. Website: blainesd.org.

Ferndale School District, 6041 Vista Drive/P.O. Box 698 Ferndale, WA 98248, 360-3839200. Superintendent Kristi Dominguez, 360-386-9207, email: Kristi.Dominguez@ ferndalesd.org. Website: ferndalesd.org.

Sumas

City Council

Sumas City Council meets at 7 p.m. the secondand fourthMonday of each month at Sumas City Hall, 433 Cherry St. Planning Commission meets at 5:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month if needed. Other committees meet only as needed. Visit cityofsumas.com for meeting agendas or for more information.

Senator Sharon Shewmake (D), 213 John A. Cherberg Building, PO Box 40442, Olympia, WA 98504, 800562-6000 or 360-305-0356; Public comment email at app. leg.wa.gov/pbc/memberEmail/42/2. Or email Legislative Assistant Sarah Soulliere atSarah.Soulliere@leg.wa.gov.

Website: senatedemocrats. wa.gov/Shewmake.

Representative Alicia Rule (D), JLOB 334, PO Box 40600, Olympia, WA 985040600, 360-746-3744; Public comment email at https://app. leg.wa.gov/pbc/memberEmail/42/1. Or email Legislative Assistant Rachel Campbell at Rachel.Campbell@leg.wa.gov.

Website: housedemocrats.

Whatcom County Council Member Todd Donovan District 2, 311 Grand Ave., Suite 105, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360-483-8474; Email: tdonovan@co.whatcom.wa.us. Website: https://www.whatcomcounty.us/2261/ToddDonovan-Council-Chair.

Whatcom County Council Member Tyler Bird District 3 (Everson, Nooksack Sumas), 311 Grand Ave., Suite 105, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360-778-5021; Email: tbyrd@ co.whatcom.wa.us. Website: whatcomcounty.us/2769/ Tyler-Byrd.

Whatcom County Council Member Kathy Kershner District 4 (Lynden), 311 Grand Ave., Suite 105, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360220-7535; Email: KKershne@ co.whatcom.wa.us. Website:

North Whatcom Municipal City of Everson, 111 W. Main St./PO Box 315, Everson, WA 98247, 360-966-3411; Mayor John Perry, email: mayor@ci.everson.wa.us. City Clerk/Treasurer Melanie Dickinson, email: mdickinson@ ci.everson.wa.us. Website: ci.everson.wa.us. City of Ferndale, 2095 Main St./ P.O. Box 936 Ferndale, WA 98248, 360-3844302; Mayor Greg Hansen, 360-685-2350 ext. 1105, email greghansen@cityo erndale. org. City Administrator Jori Burnett, 360-685-2351 ext. 1104, email joriburnett@cityofferndale.org. Website: cityofferndale.org.

City of Lynden, 300 4th St. Lynden, WA 98264, 360-354-1170; Mayor Scott Korthuis, email korthuiss@ lyndenwa.org; City Administrator John Williams, email williamsj@lyndenwa.org.

City of Nooksack, 103 W Madison St, Nooksack, WA

Lynden School District, 516 Main St., Lynden, WA 98264, 360-354-4443. Superintendent David VanderYacht, 360-354-4443 ext. 3414, email: vanderyachtd@lynden. wednet.edu. Website: lynden. wednet.edu.

Meridian School District, 214 W. Laurel Road, Bellingham, WA 98226, 360-3987111. Superintendent James Everett, email: jeverett@ meridian.wednet.edu. Website: meridian.wednet.edu

Mount Baker School District, 4956 Deming Road/P.O. Box 95 Deming, WA 98244, 360-383-2000. Superintendent Mary Sewright, 360-6174600, msewright@mtbaker. wednet.edu. Website: mtbaker. wednet.edu.

Nooksack Valley School District, 3326 E. Badger Road, Everson, WA 98247, 360-9884754. Superintendent Matt Galley, email: matt.galley@ nv.k12.wa.us. Website: nv.k12. wa.us.