My personal experience as a student at Martin Luther King Jr. High School in DeKalb County, Georgia, has been marred by inaction, neglect, and, at times, downright harassment. The county's recent focus has been on controlling student phone usage by bringing Yondr pouches into the situation, yet serious issues such as structural problems in our building and inappropriate conduct among staff go unaddressed. We strive for a safe, respectful environment where education comes first.

 

 

Salem Middle School

Henderson Middle School
Sequoyah Middle School
Lithonia Middle School
Tucker Middle School
Martin Luther King, Jr., High School
Lakeside High School
Cross Keys High School
Tucker High School
Miller Grove, Druid Hills, and Chapel Hill middle school

Have all been affected by this yondr pouches and struggle with the same issues 

 

1. **Emergency Situations**: In case of emergencies, students need quick access to their phones to contact parents or authorities.

2. **Educational Tools**: Smartphones can be used as educational tools for research, calculators, and educational apps.

3. **Parental Communication**: Parents may need to reach their children during the day for important reasons. Mlk will allow parents to call but will not relay the message to the student this has happened on multiple occasions including situations where students won’t know how they should get home.

4. **Mental Health**: Some students may feel anxious or stressed without access to their phones, not due to an addiction but due to the fact that some students have social anxiety. Most students do after covid and being at home 24/7 while being on zoom classes. This can impact their mental health.

5. **After-School Activities**: Students involved in after-school activities need their phones to coordinate with parents for pick-ups.

6. **Personal Security**: Students may feel safer knowing they have their phones with them in case they need help.

7. **Efficiency**: The process of locking and unlocking phones can be time-consuming and disrupt the school day.

8. **Trust and Responsibility**: Allowing students to have their phones can teach them responsibility and self-regulation.

Despite multiple complaints, we struggle with leaking ceilings in our school building, symbolizing the neglect we face. This not only disrupts learning but potentially poses health and safety risks. Our teachers fought to focus on delivering quality education, but some engage in unprofessional and unacceptable behavior, such as sexual discussions with students, flirting, and verbal abuse. Some staff members, regrettably, struggle with personal issues such as alcoholism, which can negatively impact their ability to function within the school environment.

And when threats or conflicts arise between students, there seems to be a lack of proactive response from the administration. I have personally raised concerns about such threats, only to have them ignored until a physical fight ensued. This cannot continue. We need an environment that promotes, not hinders, our education and safety.

We are calling on our county and school officials to shift their priorities. We demand immediate attention be given to the maintenance of our school buildings, to the conduct of our teachers and staff, and to the enforcement of our safety. Your signature can help spur them into action. Please, sign this petition today.

I have personally struggled with teachers that were incapable of teaching