In Warsaw, a foundation has sparked controversy after parents’ council seized students’ phones and offered to erase them in exchange for social‑media promotion.
Foundation Seeks Assistance
Fundacja Serce Miasta appealed for help after the Rada Rodziców took students’ phones from a local school for violating a no‑phone policy during lessons, then decided to transfer the devices to the foundation. The post, now deleted, is only accessible to a private group.
“Shocking Content”
The foundation’s Facebook post described the content as “shocking” and asked for someone to wipe all data from the phones, proposing a trade‑off: cleaning the phones in return for social‑media publicity on the foundation’s channels.
Societal Outcry
The Stowarzyszenie Umarłych Statusów condemned the move, calling the enforced confiscation a “violent act” that stripped students of ownership and privacy, and noting the lack of authority of the Rada Rodziców in such matters.
Legal Concerns
Activists argued that the school’s phone‑policy, signed by students, is illegal as it exists outside the statute and is not a genuine contract. They urged authorities to identify which Warsaw school was involved and to contact affected pupils, noting the foundation had not replied to outreach attempts.
Foundation’s Apology
The foundation issued a statement, claiming the phones were donated by third parties and that they acted in good faith without realizing their ambiguous status. They apologized for any breach of rules and pledged greater scrutiny of future donations.
