What Louisiana Students Are Doing to Revoke Cell Phone Ban in Schools

Whether it’s in the town of Walker or Prairieville, students have started a petition effort to get the state’s ban on the use of cell phones at school revoked.

According to a Change dot org petition, Emma Hodge has started a petition to the Louisiana State House to revoke the ban on cell phone usage in Walker High School. She says it’s not about interrupting class instruction, but it is about keeping up in an increasingly digital world.

The petition has close to 400 signatures. A petition by a sophomore student at another Louisiana high school has garnered close to 10,000 signatures at change.org . This petition, started by Kaytlin Villescas, aims to have lawmakers revoke the cell phone ban.

Some of the students who wrote on the page explaining why they support revoking the cell phone ban have several reasons as to why they find cell phones beneficial in schools.

Jessie Robert wrote, “This is ruining my senior year”.

Villescas makes the following argument to rally individuals to her cause,

It is our proposition that rather than banning cell phone use entirely, schools should impart guidelines on responsible use, thereby building a culture of respect and self-regulation. Enabling us to use our phones within reasonable confines would not just place trust in us as responsible individuals but also equip us with the necessary skill set to manage our own time and distractions.

Many of the thousands of students who signed the petition did so based on safety issues. They believe it is in their best interest to be able to use a phone for emergencies and to be able to get in touch with parents or guardians.

Other students say they should be able to use their phones during the lunch period and in between classes.

WBRZ has reported that Villescas did send all of the information and signatures to Governor Jeff Landry, but she has yet to hear back from his administration.

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