The friends, family, students of manitou springs school district feel that the new phone policy can be unsafe, unfair, harmful in a school setting. we feel that students in grades 6 and above should have the right to carry their cell phones on them at school for a variety of reasons. there are many pros and cons to cell phones, but we believe that students need to have their cellphones at school with them at all times if they chose. reason one, the reason students have their cell phones is because their parents want them to have them, if they weren't wanted by their guardians, they wouldn't purchase one for no reason. now, I understand that is not the biggest reason or selling point. we believe that the new phone policy can end up being unsafe for a variety of reasons, the biggest one being that many school shootings have occurred between 2020 and 2022 when school shootings were at their twenty-year peak. In 2020, there were 96 school shootings recorded; in 2021, that number ballooned to 202. In the first half of 2022 alone, there have been 95 reports of gunfire on school grounds, in which 40 people were killed and 76 injured. in these situations, students need to be able to reach out to their loved ones. they all deserve to know what is happening to their student and what condition they're in. students can't reach their family members if their cell phone is in the locker. now that is a very extreme reason, but it is a very important one! as you know in school district 14, we are surrounded by nature and wilderness. sometimes a lockdown happens because of a mountain lion was spotted miles away, parents may have a hard time if they hear on the news their student's school is in a lock down and may think the extreme.  young girls may have an "accident" during their menstrual period and have a bleed through and not have clothes in their locker. they may need a friend to bring a jacket or new pants till their parents can come get them or bring them a change of clothes. not only would that situation mortify these young girls and getting ahold of a friend may be the only answer. we understand that a number of distractions are caused by phones. so, a few rules could be set. let students keep them in their backpacks and in the classrooms, but if backpacks aren't allowed to be in class let students keep them on their desk on the floor next to their desk. devices like air pods, earbuds, headphones should only be allowed with teacher approval. cell phones also provide an additional learning tool, which can also save schools money on other technology. if the petition does not win, we have constant communication problems with our students. Un organization, if we continue with the new phone policy our students may have a lack of organization because they won't have their set calendar apps, clocks, alarms, and reminders that students can use to help them stay more organized. These tools can help them keep track of assignments, make sure they’re not late to class, and plan out their study time. to conclude we would like the new phone policy to be changed to allowing students to have their phones on them at all times at school. face down on their desk or on the floor next to their desk would be a reasonable solution. if you made it this far, thank you for reading this and we hope you'll try to understand our concerns.