SHREVEPORT, LA – A teenager in Louisiana wants to stop the ban on cell phones in schools. In fact, the teen has started a petition to lift the ban.

Emma Grace Hodge, a freshman at Walker High, has started a petition against the nationwide ban on cell phones in schools.

But it will be an uphill battle for them. Proponents of the ban say that cell phones distract students in class and cause all kinds of disruptions.

However, Hodge says the ban, which is now in place in all public schools, is unnecessary because students know when not to use their phones. She says her petition calls for cell phone use during free time, not during class.

Hodge says:

All students understand that we are not allowed to take out our mobile phones during class because that is our learning time and we do not want to take that away from them.

Hodge thinks it’s unfair that teachers can have their cell phones but students can’t. She also says that students used to be able to use their cell phones outside of class without any major problems. She thinks it’s unfair to impose rules on what should be free time.

“During the lunch break, before the start of the new school year, during the lunch break and when changing classes, you were allowed to let off steam because that was free time and you were allowed to do what you wanted,” she says.

The current law only allows for emergency exceptions, meaning anyone who needs to contact a student during school hours must do so through the school office. Hodge says this creates an unnecessarily complicated system, as there is usually a delay between the call being received and students being notified.

“They (the school) take action after they (the parents) call for about five minutes,” she says. “Whereas if you have your phone with you, they (the parents) can reach you more quickly.”

If you would like to read the petition and follow the status, you can click here to view the progress.