Iowa schools relent on cell phone bans

DES MOINES (AP) — Administrators in many Iowa school districts are rethinking the use of cells phones at school. In Waukee, Marshalltown, Ackley and other cities, administrators are easing up on strict bans so students can now use cell phones during free time such as lunch. Many had banned the use of the devices during school hours. Superintendent Dave Wilkerson told a group of teachers at a welcome-back meeting this fall that, “We’re fighting a losing battle” when it comes to banning the gadgets. “We’re creating a false world for them in the school, a world so different from what they’re dealing with on the outside,” he said. Just a couple of years ago there was a statewide movement to tighten cell phone bans. Education officials were conc