Students hide a thin white wire under their clothes hoping they don’t get caught listening to the small amount of music in their pockets, hiding their music like it’s something more than just “music”. Austin Independent School District (AISD) banned students from using any kind of personal technology during school hours. According to the 2025-26 Student Code of Conduct, Students are not allowed to possess any unauthorized electronic devices such as CD players, MP3 players,or any other video, listening, or entertainment devices during school hours from bell to bell.
Some students rely on music to concentrate on school work and get through the day calmly. It is unfair that students don’t have the freedom to listen to music without their school permitted devices. AISD also made it harder for students to listen to music on their school permitted devices by web banning Spotify, a streaming site students use. AISD should understand that students deserve some feeling of freedom. Giving students the right to use music devices during school hours can have many benefits.
Music is way more than something to jam out to, music can help from reducing stress and anxiety to improving focus. Our bodies release cortisol when stressed, listening to music can help decrease cortisol levels and calm our bodies down. When listening to music, the right and left side of your brain activate, leading to better focus and concentration while studying. Some genres that are great for improving studying are Electronic Dance Music (EDM), Classical, jazz, and even movie soundtracks. Music with little to no words work best.
Spotify is one of many music streaming platforms, but by far the most popular, with over 600 million users compared to Apple Music’s 94 million. Students like to use Spotify on their school permitted devices because of Spotify’s free tier subscription, which Apple music does not offer. Spotify’s free plan lets students listen to the never ending list of music Spotify has to offer for free, with the only con being the occasional ad.
Students mainly use their personal devices like phones to stream music with their own earphones or headphones, but with the passing of House Bill 1481 lots of confusion has been made. Initially students thought of an easy loophole to get past the rule; use music devices like an Ipod or a CD player, which can’t send communications to others. Most students are not aware that they can’t use an MP3 player or Ipod in school, so when they faced consequences they were confused. AISD should make it easier for students to know these rules to get rid of the confusion and distractions in the classroom.
AISD can make it easier for students to use music devices besides phones by allowing them to be used during passing periods, lunch times, and FIT depending on the teacher. This way students can enjoy their music without the fear of getting their devices confiscated by staff members. To ensure students don’t use them during the wrong times like class time, teachers can use the cell hotel system used before House Bill 1481. Students place their music devices in their designated spot before class to be picked up later at the end of class.
Students will become more and more uninterested in school without having the ability to listen to music with their own devices. AISD has already stripped most personal technology from students and it has gone too far. How does staff expect students to be happy and interested in learning when students have little to no freedom with their choice in music?
