Loganville High School Students Petition To Get Internet Back

LOGANVILLE, GA — More than 400 people have signed an online petition started by Loganville High School students who want their smartphones back.

The Change.org petition, started by LHS student Taylor Williams, had 406 signatures as of Thursday morning, about two days after it began.

In it, she argues that a new Walton County Public Schools policy, which bans the use of personal Web devices during school hours, makes it difficult to get schoolwork done.

"This new rule has hindered the learning process of the students," Williams wrote. "I am hoping this petition will show the district how badly it affects the students' education. To be clear, this isn't a form of attacking the county. I am simply getting the message out there and, hopefully, we can sort this all out."

Under the new policy, access to WiFi signals in the school is limited to only devices that are registered to the school system.

The school system notes that students have access to school-issued devices, including iPads, for educational work. If they need to use a personal device, they can get a technology officer to help them log on. Banning personal devices has freed up bandwidth so educational work online has become faster and easier, schools spokeswoman Callen Moore told The Loganville Local.

But Williams writes that waiting for those technology officers takes up valuable time that could be used doing schoolwork.

In an update to her original post, she writes that library specialists have responded by clarifying that they will find a computer for anyone who needs one for a Web-dependent class. One of Williams' original complaints was that, if a student doesn't show up at the school's library early enough, there are no computers available.

But other issues remain. One of them, according to Williams, is students' inability to call parents or guardians during the school day, for anything from a simple request for a ride to an in-school or out-of-school emergency.