Personal devices are being eliminated from classrooms across Alabama. Governor Kay Ivey passes the FOCUS Act, banning the usage of personal devices during instructional periods.
“Smartphones have beneficial roles when used in proper settings. However, these often-disruptive devices have no place in our classrooms during the school day except for educational purposes or during an emergency. The FOCUS Act will enable students to ‘focus’ on learning while in school rather than on their phones,” Ivey said.
On May 14, Ivey signed the bill into law after repeated requests from parents and educators. The FOCUS Act stands for “Free Our Classrooms of Unnecessary Distractions for Safety.” Educators believe that it will increase productivity in the classroom. Within Sparkman High School, Sparkman’s Principal has been adamant on the enforcement of this law within campus grounds.
“Teachers, classified staff and administrators will work together to identify students who are violating the State Law. The school’s administrators will then follow the MCSS Governing Board-approved phone policy and administer the appropriate consequence.” Principal Todd Dreifort said.
With phones away from the classrooms, schools hope to see less distracted students. While personal devices can be a big distraction within the classroom, they aren’t the only distraction.
“The biggest cause of classroom disruptions is students who are not engaged in the material. This is not always the teacher’s fault. A student has the choice to participate or not participate in the lesson, no matter how engaging or dry the lesson may be.” Dreifort said.
The elimination of personal devices might prevent some distractions, but it will not prevent all. This law brings schools one step closer to a more proactive working environment.
“We (teachers, students, and administrators) all have bad days from time to time, which may lead to a less-than-ideal classroom setting. But I do believe this law will go a long way in helping students be more attentive, as they will have one less distraction.” Dreifort said.
Even though the bill was only passed in May, there have been many complaints about the safety and security of the bill. Concerns such as the inability to communicate with parents quickly in case of emergencies have been raised.
“In case of a true emergency, we encourage parents not to rush to the school, as they will not have access to the building. Both Ford Chapel and Jeff roads will be shut down by the police and restricted to emergency personnel and vehicles only. Parents will be directed to the reunification site off campus. The district and local media will assist in letting parents know the location of the reunification site,” Dreifort said.
Emergencies happen, and some are unavoidable. For all the concerns this bill has raised, it also has supporters. According to AL.com, parents and educators have acknowledged it as the “smoothest school transition in years”.
“I am in favor of this new law! Too many students were distracted by their phones and not paying attention in class. If my kids were still in school, I would support the new law.” Dreifort said.
