Phones are often denounced as a distraction in the classroom. However, Louisiana’s current solution to this problem is too rigid and doesn’t take into consideration the ways in which phones have come to be a necessity in the modern day. It is clear that when this law was written, there was little thought put into the practicality of such a ban. While they can be distracting, there are several situations in which phones might be needed, and these are not taken into account by the ban, which only provides exceptions for students with IEPs, IAPs, and 504 plans. For example, during family emergencies, a student’s family may need to contact them, but would be unable to due to the phone ban. Also, with a rise in abuse and violence in schools, it is becoming more and more likely that students may experience a threat at their school, in which case they should be allowed to at least tell their families about what’s happening. There are many such situations in which students might need their phones, but the phone ban has no consideration for any of these. 

On top of that, after phones have been confiscated, it can be difficult for students to get them back, since it is often necessary for their parents to retrieve them. This causes problems not only in school in certain cases where phones might be needed, but outside of it as well, as it leaves some students without their phones until their parents are able to pick them up from the school. Without any room for exceptions or more convenient ways for phones to be returned to students, this ban could cause many problems for students. Students who have their phones taken for minor offenses could even end up in potentially dangerous situations with no way of contacting help. In order to prevent the shortcomings of this ban from negatively impacting students and their families, the law should be amended in order to allow for flexible judgment by schools to make exceptions when they are needed.