Dyersburg City School officals have made a decision to remove phones completely from Dyersburg High School. The school does not allow phones to be used during breaks or lunch. Anyone can agree that phones distract students from education, but not allowing students breaks or downtime to entertain themselves is neglectful. It creates an enviroment close to that of a prison. It removes all choice and responibility of the student. It also creates stress and tension throughout the day. Love it or hate phones are apart of everyones day to day life, and having half of your day disconnected from the world is horrible for anyone. This also includes teachers. Teachers are allowed to have their phones on them at all times. While students are left staring at walls or talking to their friends how isolated they feel without being able to communicate to friends or parents through text, teachers are playing on their phones and entertaining themselves. It feels like they are mocking their students. Many of the students are becoming young adults with life and work of their own. They should be trusted more, and allowed to do more things. These people will ultimately be your doctors, dentists, lawyers, and police officers to just name a few things. If you are not able to trust them now, what will happen in a decade? or two decades?

The reasoning for the phone ban given to students were due to the recent school shootings that have plauged the United States. Phones have absolutely no correlation to the school shooting problem. One teacher gave the example of someone intending to cause harm to the school texting a student to let them in to do the deed, but this makes no sense. Looking at all of the well known school shooting cases, within the United States, the students are the ones commiting the offense, not strangers outside of the school.

Rather than banning phones from schools, officals should look at the real issue that causes school shootings. Mental health. Schools should provide better programs to allow students to express their mental health issues. One such way is having a therapist onboard the school's staff, more open discussions about mental health and how to deal with it, and more inclusivity.

With your help spreading this petition and making it known that this is a problem. We can stop this! What is stopping other schools making this decision? If we create enough of a response they will have to hear us out. This rule is dangerous, irresponsible, and neglectful to the students entrusting their futures to these people who show no care for them. This is their chance to show that they acknowldge the people who put their trust into them. Thank you for listening to me, and spread the word!