Parents, students, and guardians in the Fowlerville community are uniting in a clear message to the Fowlerville Community School Board of Education: vote NO on Phase 2 of the proposed Personal Communication Device (PCD) Policy. This phase includes the purchase and implementation of locking pouches and a bell-to-bell, all-day personal device ban.

This policy poses serious concerns regarding student safety, mental health, educational access, and family communication, and it lacks the data or metrics necessary to justify such extreme measures.

Many families believe this policy is unnecessary, ineffective, and disconnected from the realities students face each day. No evidence has been presented showing that personal devices are causing problems severe enough to warrant a full-day ban. Instead, the policy applies a blanket solution that ignores the diverse needs of students and families across the district, and is a waste of school resources.

Personal communication and electronic devices are not simply distractions, and parents are not condoning the use of devices during instructional time (unless teacher permitted). They are essential tools that students rely on throughout the school day. Devices support learning by providing access to educational resources, digital assignments, schedules, school group communication apps, and even Advanced Placement and college-level coursework, and communicating with college professors. For many students, devices play a critical role in sensory regulation, or helping them remain focused and engaged. Students with medical needs may depend on their devices for health-related alerts, reminders, and monitoring.

This policy also undermines student safety and mental health. Personal devices allow students to discreetly report concerns through programs such as OK2SAY, enabling them to seek help or report threats without drawing attention to themselves. In moments of crisis, students may need immediate access to a phone to contact 911, parents, or emergency services, or to provide critical information to first responders.

Locking devices away removes that lifeline. School phones are not accessible in all areas students occupy throughout the day, and locking pouches prevent timely access during emergencies. Even students with accommodations would be placed at risk, as opening Velcro pouches during a situation where silence is critical could draw attention and compromise safety.

Beyond safety concerns, this policy fails to consider the logistical realities families face. Parents rely on quick communication with their children for schedule changes, emergencies, transportation issues, and after-school coordination - often during passing time or lunch. Removing this ability creates unnecessary stress for both students and families.

The proposed Phase 2 policy is a one-size-fits-all approach that does not reflect the nuanced needs of students, the evolving role of technology in education and as a tool that is used in every day life, or individual family needs. This policy undermines the voices of the parents and guardians who provided their children with phones for these purposes in the first place, and they are the ones paying for the devices and their services. 

We urge the Fowlerville Community School Board of Education to VOTE NO, and reject Phase 2 of the proposed PCD policy, and reject the purchase of device locking pouches, and to pursue reasonable alternatives that support a device-free learning environment during instructional time, without compromising student safety, mental health, family needs, or parental rights.

Please join us in standing up for our students by signing this petition and calling on the board to VOTE NO on Phase 2.