The students at Rippowam are facing unjust treatment and control. They are being forced to place their phones in a shoe caddy every period, and are being rejected the right to wear the hood of a shirt or sweatshirt, or hats that cover their ears. Every period, the students must place their phones out of their possession. Due to recent events regarding a TikTok trend where students vandalize the school, if students were not afraid to steal ceiling tiles and soap dispensers then, why would they be scared to steal phones from an easily accessible caddy on the door now? Furthermore, this policy was put into action because of the section of students that decided to participate in another TikTok trend where students "battle" other schools using gun and knife symbols. Why should the innocent students lose the privilege of having phones with them because of the students who decide to do the wrong thing? Teachers and administration argue that keeping the phones in the caddy will enhance the student's learning and understanding of the material being taught. However, after asking many students, this can be disproved because the students of Rippowam Middle School feel that when they have their phones with them, there is a sense of security and knowing that their phone is in their pocket or bag, they don't have to worry about it. Students of Rippowam said that when their phone is in the caddy, they will be more worried about it and won't feel as comfortable in the classroom. Additionally, hoods make many students feel comfortable in an environment where safety is an ever growing, evolving, and changing issue. There are more ways to address the problem of students wearing earbuds than to just take away the right to wear a piece of clothing the way it was intended to be worn. For example, a teacher can quickly ask the student to show them their ears and ask the student to take out the earbuds if they are wearing them. The administration also shouldn't ask the Student Council to vote on an outcome if they aren't going to consider their ideas. 80% of students voted to keep both policies the way they were as they felt it was unnecessary to change policies that seemed to be working just fine, for the most part, and 50% of teachers voted to take the phones of students away for the entirety of the day, and not allow both hats and hoods. Seeing that a much greater percentage of students believed that the policies should have stayed the same, it would have only been right to keep the policy the same, instead of favoring the teachers' vote to change the policy. The hats and hoods policy prevents some students from feeling safe, comfortable, and confident as some are insecure about their hair and the back of their neck due to other social media trends. We ask you to sign this petition to change both policies to better the experience for the students at Rippowam Middle School.