Educator, parent react to Alabama public school cell phone ban

OPELIKA, Ala. (WTVM) - School systems in Alabama are developing plans to implement a new law that bans cell phone usage in public schools.

The Alabama legislature passed House Bill 166 , called the ‘Focus Act’ which stands for Freeing Our Classrooms of Unnecessary Screens Safety Act, earlier this week. Beginning next school year, all schools will be required to lock each student’s phone in a secure place and then return it to the students at the end of the day.

“As a superintendent, I think it’s great, lose the distraction,” said Lee County Superintendent Dr. Mike Howard. “As a parent, it makes you apprehensive because you want to know where your children are.”

Howard says the law is great, in theory. He expresssed concerns on how the Lee County School System will implement this.

“Are we going to lock it up into a locker somewhere or are they going to have specific areas that they can use them. Some people are talking about those pouches, but those are expensive. We got 9,000 kids,” Dr. Howard said.”

The pouches Howard mentioned will allow students to place their phone inside and magnetically lock it. It can only be unlocked by a teacher or administrator with a magnet to open the pouch.

Nonetheless, each pouch costs around $50 per pouch, which would cost Lee County about $450,000 for a pouch for every student. On the other hand, Howard said he’s also concerned for safety in an emergency.

“Now we have a bunch of students with phones in pouches that have to get out of a building and have to go wherever they’re supposed to go without access to a cell phone,” he said.

Marquita Ligon, a mom with two kids in school, said it is good to reduce distractions, but she still has concerns.

“For the safety aspect, I would prefer for her to be able to contact 911 or contact me in an emergency,” she said. “We have to come up with ways to limit distractions in class because it’s hurting our kids academically. They’re not focusing because their heads are in their phones.”

According to Howard, they are working to create a plan that will work for Lee County.

Also included in the law, schools must implement an internet safety plan and teach their students about social media safety. The law will officially go into effect on the first day of school.

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