On Jan. 7, the school district implemented a new policy on hall passes in order to reduce the number of students in the hallways. It involves the program Securely Pass, and requires both students and teachers to operate.
“I don’t really see why we need it,” senior Lucas Zatopek said. “It just seems like it’s gonna take more time to go to the restroom, [which is] more time you’re out of class.”
The process involves students signing in with their school and email and asking their teachers to approve their pass online through the Securly Pass website. For their pass, they must enter the class they are in, their specific destination, and the reason why they are out of class. Once they receive their pass, it comes with a timer. There’s a limit of four people per restroom at a time, and a pass is required to be in the halls during class.
“It’s just going to be kind of an inconvenience for everybody,” Zatopek said.
Shortly after the announcement, a petition on ipetitions.com was started to revoke the requirement. The petition description states: “We students find these new requirements to leave class very restricting and a breach of basic rights. As students, we want to feel like we’re in a safe environment where we’re appreciated and respected.” As of Jan. 9th, the petition has received 413 signatures.
“I think that [the passes] are a very drastic measure to combat a problem that is extremely insignificant in comparison to the other problems at our school,” senior Ianna Bishop said.
Various rumors began circulating on social media, saying that the app tracked students and collected data on them, and that the bathroom doors would be locked. In response to this, as well as to the other backlash, the school released a statement. The message, sent out to the school community, stated that “In no instance will a student be denied access for restroom emergencies” and that “The student’s locations cannot be and is not tracked.” Regarding the system at large, they said “We believe that implementing Pass will create a safer and more organized environment for our students, allowing them to focus on learning in our rigorous academic setting.”
Library passes, PIT portaling and other specified systems that were in place previously are unaffected by this change.
“People who leave class for extended periods of time can be dealt with on an individual basis,” Bishop said. “There will be just general discomfort with most students, I think.”
