Concerns among parents of Lowry High School students were recently raised when students were not issued regular lockers for the 2022-2023 school year, despite this being the case for the past two years. Throughout 2020 and 2021, students were not issued lockers because of COVID restrictions, but this year, many students and staff have found that lockers just aren’t necessary anymore. Students no longer have to carry cumbersome textbooks for each class and the no locker policy has increased safety and decreased behavioral issues at the high school, according to officials.
Lowry High School Principal, Ray Parks, explained in a meeting that each classroom is equipped with at least 30 student-use personal electronic devices, which are usually used in place of textbooks or alongside a class set.
The Humboldt County School District has also refreshed its curriculum and purchased enough textbooks for students to keep a copy at home and still have another copy available in the classroom. This, and the access to devices, eliminate the need for most student locker use.
According to Parks, without the use of lockers, LHS staff has noticed a drastic decrease in tardiness, physical altercations in the hallway, vaping, and controlled substance or drug paraphernalia referrals, which usually occur when students stop at their lockers in between classes.
LHS students have five minutes in between classes, so without the need to stop at a locker, students have more time to use the restroom or get to and from classes across campus.
LHS sophomore, Presley Hayes, and LHS senior, Cade Sanchez, both explained that they do not feel that lockers are necessary anymore.
“I think it’s too much of a hassle to have to go to a locker in general. I don’t really see the use. Even if we have textbooks, our teachers usually provide space for us to keep them and don’t make us lug them around. They are usually really flexible with that stuff,” explained Hayes.
Sanchez explained that even when he had a locker as a freshman, he didn’t really use it, so not having one this year had no effect on him.
“When I had a locker I didn’t even use it, I just carried everything around because I barely had anything,” said Sanchez.
Lockers are still available upon request and students in the Comprehensive Life Skills Class and those that have certain physical and disabilities are still issued lockers as needed. Athletic lockers for Physical Education uniforms and sports gear are also still issued for student use.
In the past two years, Parks reported that the Mining Foundation for Lowry High School has donated around 60,000 dollars worth of laptops and devices to the highschool. Utilizing these devices in the classroom has really made an impact on the student’s ease of access to information and helped LHS to decrease safety and behavioral issues that are often caused by stops or congregating at lockers to retrieve textbooks.
Many schools stopped using lockers well before the pandemic, according to Parks. Some of the most modernized schools no longer have lockers for students, like the Northern Nevada- Proctor Hug High School.
Parks explained that his main concerns, in comparison to concerns about lockers, are more oriented towards addressing chronic absenteeism and helping students who fell behind academically during the pandemic.