With 4000 students at Lowell High School, I and my peers are deeply concerned about the soon-to-be-implemented cell phone lockbox policy. This policy sets an unnecessary amount of authority over us, never mind the overt security and safety risk it is. The current policy already allows teachers and staff members unprecedented authority over cell phone use in the class, yet the administration fails to see that the current policy is not only best, it currently offers more authority to teachers than to us. We believe this newer, stricter policy was not crafted with the student's best interest in mind, nor with our safety and security as a consideration, and this policy has been met with widespread opposition from us students. This is not just an inconvenience; it's an overt security risk and is a distraction from the real issue in our classrooms; unengaging curriculum and condescending teachers.

We understand that distractions can be detrimental to learning environments; regardless, there must be more reasonable ways to address this issue without infringing on students' security or creating unnecessary tension between teachers and students, while also addressing the desires and wishes of students, including the desire for engaging, and interesting curriculum, hands-on learning, and positive, helpful teachers.

I wish to encourage those in power at LPS and on the School Committee to reconsider this policy. Please listen to the student body's concerns reconsider the cell phone lockbox policy immediately, and offer to address the concerns listed above. LHS students deserve to feel safe, secure, and engaged in our schools, something that will be completely taken from us with this policy. My intent is not to cause an uprising but to advocate for an issue that is being overlooked by the public.