Sure, everyone loves having the latest, greatest cellphone, but who wants to be told to have a cellphone? At a school, no less? Exactly.

Students at Montclair State University in Dirty Jersey now must purchase, out of their own pocket, a Sprint cellphone, dubbed the “School Phone” by students. Ostensibly, the plan is designed to ensure student’s safety. The least expensive plan, which includes a paltry 50 peak voice minutes (but unlimited text messages and on-campus data transfer), costs $420 per year.

The main controversy here is that, if the school wants to keep kids safe, it should do so out of its pocket, or at least include the cost of the phone in the tuition. I know my school has an emergency alert text message system in place, but it’s entirely voluntary and cellphones are by no means a requirement.

Montclair State Unveils Mandatory ‘School Phone’ [wcbstv.com via Drudge]