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We want to know: Do school administrators have the right to withhold phones from parents?

Earlier this week, a school principal was filmed  having a discussion with the parent of a teen whose iPhone 6 she had confiscated. According to CNET, Linda M. Carroll took the phone for disciplinary reasons, and says she will return it to the student in "a few weeks" as per the school's policy (the school is not identified, but CNET found a Principal Linda Carroll at Northeast High School in Philadelphia).

There are a lot of unknowns here: We don't know why the phone was taken, or if there was any prior interaction with Carroll and the parent who filmed the video. Raven Hill, a spokesperson for the School District of Philadelphia, did provide this statement to CNET when queried:

According to the Northeast High School student handbook, which every student receives at the beginning of the school year, all confiscated cell phones, cameras, electronic and other telephonic devices will be returned at the end of each academic quarter. There are no exceptions. In this case, the end of the marking period is in two weeks.

But it does bring up questions about whether that school policy is right; after all, as the father in the video says, he did pay for the phone and it is his property. Schools, however, have these policies for a reason. In some cases these policies are in need of an update to reflect the changing needs of students, but there is often strong justification nevertheless for why the school makes the decisions it does.

We want to know: Do teachers and principals have the right to take phones from students if they deem them a disruption or distraction? And do they have to give them back to parents when asked? Let us know in the comments!