by Zon Resueno

SANFORD – In an effort to enhance safety and discipline on campus, Lee County High School has implemented a new hall pass system to regulate student movement within the school premises. Created by assistant principal Lucas Yerger, the system has spurred mixed reactions among students and staff alike after being put into effect earlier this month.

“I think just the amount of students wandering the halls and trying to hold them accountable more,” emphasized Yerger, stating the need for increased accountability. “Just creating a universal system that we all use makes it a little simpler and easier to hold people accountable.”

The new system, designed to curb instances of class skipping and unauthorized absences, requires students to obtain a hall pass from their teacher before leaving the classroom during instructional time. This system aims to streamline hall pass procedures and ensure better monitoring of student whereabouts during school hours.

“When a student needs to go somewhere like go to the bathroom, go wherever. The teacher will write them the pass, simple, and they will go where they need to go,” Yerger stated. “And then again, hopefully, if we see them in the hall they’re in the right direction, right area.”

The new hall pass system makes use of designated time limits, dates, and color-coded identifiers for each week, aiming to tackle student absenteeism effectively. The system ensures students can only leave classrooms for legitimate reasons within specified timeframes, and with passes color-coded to prevent reuse.

“Just making sure teachers are writing them, giving them out. Students are using them, not keeping them. We’re changing the color every week to make sure that they’re not just hanging on to the same past,” Yerger explained regarding the measures to ensure fair usage of the system.

Frequently class skipping has a devastating negative impact on students’ academic performance and educational outcomes. Consistent absences create knowledge gaps, decreased graduation rates, and disrupts the learning environment for both teachers and classmates.

“Hopefully everyone will be in class and where they’re supposed to be and, think before they just want to wander the halls.” Yerger expressed hope that the system would result in improved attendance and greater adherence to classroom locations.

Just like any new system, it has gained a mix of feedback from LCHS staff and students alike. “Yeah, I think it’s mixed. Of course, it’s always going to be mixed. But I think ultimately I mean I noticed in the hallway last week, people are pulling out passes. If people are using them hopefully it stays that way and they get used with fidelity,” Yerger said.

In stark contrast, LCHS Student Amya Neal-Tysor states “I feel like it’s kind of like a waste of paper. I feel like just the handmade little hall passes are much better than just using paper.”  Neal-Tysor emphasizes the potential resources going to waste induced by the new hall pass system, saying its “killing a lot of trees”.

“I don’t like using the school bathrooms but when I have to use the bathroom, like really, really bad, I have to wait for my teacher to sign the pass,” Neal-Tysor explained. “I feel like it’s just really time consuming.”

The implementation of the new hall pass system has raised concerns due to its potential to disrupt classes when students need to obtain teacher signatures, as well as perceptions of fairness among students across the campus questioning the need for hall passes when it is only a select percentage of the school population who participate in truancy.

“I feel like it’s kind of even. Like, they’ll give, they take, they have to give the pass anyways. Unless, like, they’re gonna get stopped. I feel like it’s equal in that sense,” Neal-Tysor said.

Social Studies Teacher Elizabeth Moore-Young provided insight into the impact of the new hall pass system on her classroom dynamics, stating, “The new hall pass system has affected my classroom environment by making sure that people have passes when they leave,” she explained.

Addressing the system’s manageability during class, Moore-Young expressed concerns about interruptions, noting, “It cannot be easy to manage because we have to stop when people want to be able to use the restroom or need to go somewhere.”

“I can see how the effectiveness of the system, in theory, if it’s carried out with fidelity, could be effective,” she said reflecting on the system’s efficacy and actual impact on student absenteeism, however, “For having students in the right place at the right time at the same time there are still going to be people who fall through the cracks.”

As the hall pass system settles into Lee County High School, diverse opinions highlight ongoing debates about its efficacy and fairness. While aiming to enhance safety and discipline, its implementation sparks discussions on resource usage and classroom interruptions. Moving forward, the community grapples with finding a balance between accountability and practicality within the school environment.