Can A School Interfere With My Cellphone?

[Sir Winston Churchill]

*I didn't know where to put this. The description of The Basement was "anything techy", and cellphones seem techy. Please move if I was incorrect.

So I carry a phone to school. I do not text in class or anything like that, I simply use it as a lifeline and form of communication with my parents and other important people after school. Like calling for a ride. You know, harmless things that cellphones should be used for.

Yet ever since I started school, my phone has acted wonky. It's a Verizon Pantech Crux, and on top of receiving doubles of every message sent to me, sometimes messages do not come in, and in some cases apparently do not go out either (which has gotten a girl very, very, very pissed at me unfortunately...).

Now, I've heard that the school I go to has something set up around the building that interferes with my cellphone. I know this is true because the entire building is a dead zone, I have to go outside to get any signal whatsoever. Yet I must know, what exactly are they using? And is it possibly screwing up my phone? Because I heard rumors from my cousin and others who also attest to the same symptoms. We have to completely restart our phones to get them working normally again, and my cousin even says he just removes his battery before coming to school to prevent damage. Of course he failed to explain to me anything technical since he's in 7th grade.

So what's causing my phone troubles, the school? If so, they're going to have a very mad student on their hands.

[Viking Prince]

The school is blocking transmissions and nothing more. It is fairly easy to do and is standard practice for many organizations. It should not affect your phone itself and clearly is not affecting the system your phone subscribes to. I would suggest calling you phone service customer service about your concerns. And yes, shutting your phone off while in a dead zone for a prolonged period should be standard practice. Why run down your battery searching for a nonexistent signal?

[Simetrical]

All they're doing is blocking the cell tower signals from getting to the phone, nothing else. The problems with your phone are unrelated.