Save Our Afterschool Programs: Demand Accountability from DYCD for Vendor Contracts
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I use music to help me focus, without it I always have bad and stressful days . Also I've had situations where I was stranded in a bathroom where if I didn't have my phone I would have been stuck. I also have severe anxiety and depression so having something to calm me or being able to text friends after a test is always helpful. So I think that the phone ban will do more harm than good.
Shelley supported: End the Alabama School Phone BanThis feels like a law that was made without actually considering whether it would help students or not. We’ve been begging for resources and support for years, and instead were met with a phone ban. You can’t repeatedly ask students want they need, blatantly ignore them, and then think your solution will solve everything.
Kelsi supported: End the Alabama School Phone BanHi there! I’m Madison, and I’m a senior, a daughter, a student, and a young woman navigating a world that often feels a bit unsafe. When Alabama implemented the FOCUS Act and banned phones in schools, I didn't feel more focused; I actually felt more vulnerable. As a girl, I already tend to be more cautious and aware of my surroundings. Now, I’m expected to go through my school day without the one thing that provided me comfort, connection, and a sense of safety.
My phone is my link to my paralyzed mom, helps calm my anxiety, and lets me reach out to my family or call for help if I ever need it. It’s not just about losing a device; it’s about losing our peace of mind. We’re not looking to scroll through TikTok during class; we just want to feel seen, heard, and protected. Thanks for understanding!
Madison supported: End the Alabama School Phone BanBlock scheduling and study hall is important for all students in high school. When you reach high school, there are more classes, more work, more activities, etc. On top of that, kids are starting to get jobs, learn to drive cars and getting involved in their community. Some students even miss days of school due to being sick. Having a study hall helps many students alike to complete their schoolwork and makeup tests they miss. On top of that, having assignments spread out (because of block scheduling) help with time management, as assignments are typically due every other day. Taking these things away makes it even harder to manage high school. Not only is it taking time away from students, but having work from 7 classes everyday, and most likely having to finish it all in one night, would be very stressful. There would also be no time to makeup tests. On top of that, fitting 7 classes in one day + lunch and passing periods would be very difficult to expect and not give enough time to learn everything a class may require.
For example, I take part in the marching band at my school. Our rehearsals are from 3-7PM every Tuesday and Thursday, our school ending at 2:40PM. Sometimes we might have an additional rehearsal, it might be extended to 8PM, there's football games we perform at lasting until 9PM, and either competitions or band camps on Saturdays, taking away a day to finish up work on the weekend. Having a study hall has helped me complete my work and make up tests, and having a block schedule is beneficial to me so my work is spaced out, giving me more time to complete all of it. Without both, it'd be pretty much impossible to get work done on time with reasonable time to sleep. Without sleep, I won't be ready to learn for school. If my assignments are always late, I'd be getting bad grades. I'm not the only one with after-school activities - there are over 100 members in my marching band, and many other types of clubs take place at my school after the day is over. We all need our study hall time and block-scheduling to stay in order to manage some of the most fast-paced and stressful years of our lives while still getting our chance to do what we love.
Isabella supported: Preserve Personalization Periods and block scheduling in Broward schoolsHello!!! I’m a very involved student in this district, participating in a lot of events and extracurriculars, and I genuinely care about what happens here. But honestly, this new policy feels like a straight-up invasion of privacy. Why do you need to see my location 24/7, even when I’m not at school? My parents do that, and it makes sense because they are my parents. Teachers are not my family and thus do not need to know about my whereabouts. There have already been multiple cases in our own district where teachers have turned out to be criminals, including my teacher from middle school who was later arrested for being a child predator. That’s just one example among many, many others in FBISD, and it makes me really uncomfortable knowing people like that could have access to my location. Also, I just want to be able to listen to Spotify and do my work in peace without having to worry about some teacher checking what songs I’m listening to or where I’m at all the time. The phone ban is already extreme; now, students are getting referrals in Skyward just because their phones rang inside their backpacks (It’s not even my fault the insurance guy called me at 10:01 AM). I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but this all feels over the top. Students like me work hard, represent the district in so many ways, and deserve some level of trust. Please take into consideration how these policies make us feel. We just want to learn, do our best, and have our privacy respected.
Dhruva supported: TSU: Ban GoGuardian Surveillance Software on FBISD Student LaptopsHonestly if our privacy isn’t already taken away enough, along with the phone ban, teachers being able to see every time I move a mouse on my computer is such a violation of privacy. Fbisd aswell as schools needs to stop treated their students like jailmates with no privacy. Every day just to enter there’s 3 teachers acting like prison wardens asking for our id card one by one, phones are banned, we have no freedom to even get up, a lot of teachers don’t even allow restrooms, food is WORSE than prison food, if this isn’t bad enough, we are getting more to top it off. School shouldn’t feel like such a prison. Not one person will like the fact that every time we open our computers, you can see it. What if there’s something serious? Someone has to look up a serious question on their computer, but the teacher can see it. What if it’s about their health? What if it’s a private question? Can they see our search history too? It’s a fricked up thing. At this point change the name “school” to “county prison”. We are students who deserve privacy, not inmates who are being literally spied on my our teachers. I’m a high schooler who deserves my privacy. But I’m being treated like a 2nd grader with this.
Eros supported: TSU: Ban GoGuardian Surveillance Software on FBISD Student LaptopsAs a high school student in Alabama, I understand the importance of focus and discipline in school. But banning phones completely during school hours takes away more than just a distraction—it takes away our safety, connection to family, and access to tools that help us learn and protect ourselves.
Phones aren’t just for TikTok or texting—they’re a lifeline. In emergencies like school shootings, fights, severe weather, or medical issues, having a phone gives students the ability to alert authorities, contact parents, or get help instantly. Taking that away puts our lives at risk in situations where every second matters.
Instead of banning phones completely, let’s focus on teaching responsibility—like phone-free zones in class, but still allowing access during lunch, transitions, or emergencies. Give us a chance to show maturity, not take away a basic tool that keeps us connected and safe.
We’re asking not just for convenience, but for our right to feel safe and supported while in school. Please reconsider the ban, and work with students—not against us—to find a better solution.
Respectfully,
A concerned Alabama student
Rashad supported: Reverse Alabama’s School Phone Ban for SafetyHonestly, I got ADHD and focusing problems, but when I turn on my music it calms my thoughts and keeps me focused, if I can’t focus it’ll not only affect my grades but it will affect my overall mood, I know the higher ups may not realize that it’s important to a multitude of students that we have our phones, but it is, of course there are students who use them for the wrong reasons and yes it can cause distractions, but then you have people who actually struggle with mental issues that they can’t help, students who don’t trust medication to help them, because I know someone who took medication for their ADHD and they are no longer with us because of them, so that’s not a simple fix to this situation, rethink your decisions, there are a lot of voices and people who are serious about this.
Chase supported: Reverse Alabama’s School Phone Ban for SafetyNot having phones during our free time feels more like a punishment mainly because we already have to focus on school what about the things going on around us?
Zy’Ria supported: Allow Cellphones in Louisiana Schools During Free TimeYou’re not alone — a community of supporters is ready to back you.
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