r/mildlyinfuriating • u/TheAeroplaneBear2906 • Jul 16 '26

Unskippable ad Clear Backpacks + Pay to Keep Your Phone

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My freinds school is now requiring these items, and is also using AI to promote this đŸ« 

17.9k Upvotes

87% Upvoted

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255

u/akiva23 Jul 16 '26

the school can pay for this if they want to make it required.

124

u/MoeKneeKah GREEN Jul 16 '26

The school can’t even afford pens and paper, come on now

122

u/g0ing_postal Jul 16 '26

There are students who can't afford pens and paper either

-27

u/kzlife76 Jul 16 '26

But they can afford a cell phone? Com'on. I think our priorities are a little screwed up and everyone has a car of main character syndrome.

6

u/MakeURage1 Jul 16 '26

Fun fact! Economic situations can change! A student who's family was doing okay a couple years ago, bought their kid a phone, might not be doing so great now. Could be a parent lost their job, got hurt, or honestly, just got fucked by the current world we live in. Everything is more expensive, from gas, to food, to utilities. Public schools should not, under any circumstances, be requiring students/parents to purchase a god damned thing that's a requirement for attending school.

-16

u/Sum-Duud Jul 16 '26

and there are resource offices that help provide those supplies, like they would a backpack. Student in that situation doesn't need a phone and certainly doesn't need it at school.

51

u/RotaBoat Jul 16 '26

Maybe a superintendent making $300K could donate them, since they do the job because they care for the children /s

-25

u/MoeKneeKah GREEN Jul 16 '26

Nice strawman

13

u/mAsian__ Jul 16 '26

not a straw man. the lining of pockets is a direct reflection of how schools aren’t getting the funding they need.

3

u/Independent-Lynx9476 BLUE Jul 16 '26

It's a well known fact that school districts having trouble with finding is a result of admin bloat... there's too many administrative workers not doing their jobs or doing redundant jobs that much of the school's budget goes to that instead of...idk...books, supplies, and paying teachers a reasonable salary. 

41

u/Hang10arts Jul 16 '26

But they can afford chromebooks for every student? Lol

3

u/stana32 Jul 16 '26

Probably significantly more than just one for every student too, I did IT at the district I graduated from for a couple years, a very small and not exactly wealthy district. Like 800 students across 5 schools. We had roughly 120 Chromebooks in service, and a literal pallet of extras in our office. Kids broke those things nonstop, legitimately could not care less about being fined for them. I probably spent more time Frankensteining broken Chromebooks together into working ones than doing what I actually needed to get done.

-12

u/RatonhnhaketonK Jul 16 '26

Do the teachers pay for them?

13

u/myco_magic Jul 16 '26

The teachers aren't the ones making this a requirement either

-10

u/RatonhnhaketonK Jul 16 '26

Where did I say that?

7

u/myco_magic Jul 16 '26

Where did anyone say that the teachers pay for the Chromebooks

9

u/quietmouse45 Jul 16 '26

Chromebooks can be provided by non profits. In fact, many high dollar items are acquired through grants or non profit educational entities supporting them.

4

u/FunisGreen Jul 16 '26

But another football field is a must.

9

u/Ecstatic-Cry2069 Jul 16 '26

If they wont pay, they dont get to dictate.

Tough shit.

4

u/bafben10 Jul 16 '26

Nice strawman

17

u/AncientLights444 Jul 16 '26

It’s not required to bring your phone to school.

10

u/papa-hare Jul 16 '26

I know most kids here take a yellow bus to school, but I took the subway when I was a kid. I originally didn't have a phone (lol I'm old) until one day the subway line I had to take wasn't running and I was 2h late home, in the dark, and my parents had no clue where to get me. I'm sorry but I'll always consider a phone essential.

Even if there's an active shooter, I'd like to be able to get a last text from my kids or something idk. Plus they can keep abreast of the location of the active shooter if they have a phone on them.

Or they can call if something else happens without needing to inform the school. When I was a kid there were pay phones so nobody had to know what I called my mom about, having school administration witness the call is weird to me.

2

u/AncientLights444 Jul 16 '26

The school office phone is still an option. And back then pay phones existed.

13

u/akiva23 Jul 16 '26

If their goal is "safety" then it absolutely is. Whats not required is the special pouch.

1

u/_off_piste_ Jul 16 '26

Phones are likely a net negative for “safety.”

1

u/Sum-Duud Jul 16 '26

There is virtually no safety benefit (maybe like 0.0001%) to having your phone at school.

5

u/akiva23 Jul 16 '26

The ability to communicate is always beneficial to safety even if it's something as dumb as carrying a whistle around. Always. Needing to arbitrarily make up a percentage is not helping yoour argument.

3

u/Sum-Duud Jul 16 '26

Phones contribute much more to distraction and dangerous situations that safety for kids in schools.

Made up numbers? Everyone in here saying ‘mY kId NeEdS a PhOnE fOr sAfEtY’ seems to be pointing to guns and shooters. In the USA in 24-25 school year there were 330 recorded gun incidents in schools, 25-26 there were 233 that is any time a gun is fired, brandished with intent to harm or a bullet strikes the property (regardless of time of day) - according to the K-12 school shooting database. There are approximately 22,300,000 total school days across the USA (total number of schools k-12 times average number of school days).

330 / 22,300,000 = 0.0000148%
233 / 22,300,000 = 0.0000104%

Go do your own research if you really want to. Maybe you have no idea what the school systems are like but that is reality. Meanwhile my local high school had more “phone referrals” than either of those numbers (phone referral is where a student has a phone out in class when they’re not supposed to and know they aren’t supposed to). That doesn’t count fights recorded or times kids use phones for drug related things, etc.

I’m not getting into a gun control vs phone control debate but there’s the “made up” numbers behind my argument.

1

u/AncientLights444 Jul 16 '26

It’s wild how the comments keep conflating guns with phones . 2 different subjects

0

u/akiva23 Jul 16 '26

Yes. Made up numbers. Because 0% of the time "getting distracted" when there's not a school shooting would result in more danger and 100% of the time when there is a school shooting, the ability to communicate creates a safer environment.

Saying a phone makes dangerous situations more dangerous when the dangerous situation isn't present is just straight up stupid.

2

u/Sum-Duud Jul 16 '26

You should go meet some school kids and see the dangerous shit they are doing because of phones, but you’d still say the kids are entitled to distraction because of the very small chance there might be a dangerous situation. Take that same energy and go help fight the mental health crisis in the USA and do some good with it

1

u/akiva23 Jul 16 '26

Give me an example.

4

u/bino420 Jul 16 '26

well, you don't need a backpack. they're just saying, "if you get one, then it has to be clear. and here's a cheap option for you."

like a student is going to have a backpack anyway

and then same with the phone... uh, just don't bring it. "we don't allow use of XYX at school, so here's a thing that allows you to keep XYZ on you/at school without direct access to it. & if you don't want to buy one, then keep your phone at home."

4

u/ReasonableClock4542 Jul 16 '26

I always had one. Definitely wouldnt if my only option was some clear plastic piece of shit though 😂

1

u/georgesclemenceau Jul 16 '26

You can guess the qr codes and links are affiliates links...

-2

u/skylinesora Jul 16 '26

Backpack, sure as you need a backpack. Phone? Then tell your kid to leave their phone at home.

-3

u/Pitiful-Pension-6535 Jul 16 '26

Neither Phones nor backpacks are required.

They can absolutely impose limits on optional supplies.

-3

u/AncientLights444 Jul 16 '26

The entitlement of some is wild

0

u/Calzinarzin Jul 16 '26

The students can leave their phones at home if they want to own one.

-3

u/Bardmedicine Jul 16 '26

You do understand that schools are not for profit organizations (likely public in this case). If they spend money for this, they will be taking that money from something.

-1

u/Sum-Duud Jul 16 '26

students always have a list of supplies, they're gonna buy a backpack, so it has to be clear. If you don't want to pay for the phone pouch then leave your phone at home. It is pretty simple really. No student NEEDS their phone during the school day; its just a matter of convenience and entitlement.

-2

u/Dandw12786 Jul 16 '26

No, they're giving you an option to bring your stupid phone to school. If you need it that bad, you can pay for it.

Or leave your phone at home and don't pay shit.