The student body of many schools in the Provo City School District are now subjected to an unwanted and unfair phone ban policy, that no student voted for. The District School Board went against the wishes of the community, and implemented a policy banning all cellular devices in schools. If a student is seen using their phone, it is immediately locked in a sturdy plastic box, even if the student does not wish to surrender their phone.

This new policy is extremely harmful to students learning, and is borderline illegal. Students are being threatened by claims that their phone can be taken for up to a week, with high risk of suspension if they refuse to turn over their phone to a teacher. This new policy is an extreme abuse of the school board’s power. 

The policy also directly puts students in danger. Even if they are called by their parents due to an emergency, the school can take it and lock it up. This is also dangerous because it prevents students from calling their parents in an emergency. This is especially true for students whose phones are already locked in a case, because if an emergency were to occur, they would not be able to call a parent or guardian, or even emergency services.

Some might argue that this new policy is to help students learn by eliminating unnecessary distractions in the classroom. However, that could not be a bigger lie. Students nowadays are constantly relying on their phones for communication, Internet access, and most importantly, socializing.

So please, band together with us, and help fight against this unwanted policy, and we can together make the world a better place to live, work, and learn.