Amidst new bathroom pass systems, gates under the catwalk, and free school lunches, students may be curious as to how all of these changes came about. According to Principal Chris Chlebek, they were enacted to heighten school security and assist in the learning environment of students.
One of the more obvious changes — the new gates closing off the catwalk– definitely stick out from the rest of the building, but were constructed to keep unwanted visitors out.
“They improve the safety of the building in terms of ensuring people aren’t going to just filter in with students between the buildings during passing periods,” Adam Depew, English teacher said. “It is understandably somewhat of an eyesore for now, but we were told that there is going to be some sort of decoration to help them blend in with the building.”
However, some students are not so happy with this new addition.
“I don’t like them, I feel like a prisoner,” Freshman Muhanad Masri said.
To further enhance school safety, a new, somewhat stricter bathroom pass system called Securly Pass, was implemented. No matter what classroom a student is in, if they want to go to the bathroom or anywhere else around the school, they must sign in to Securly Pass and request a pass for their teacher to accept.
“The goal for schools is teaching and learning. If people go to the bathroom and they take their phone and they go wandering for 10-15 minutes, they’re missing out on things that they need to learn. The biggest issue is keeping people in class,” Principal Chris Chlebek said.
As for students, only 7 out of 202 surveyed said that the Securly Pass system was a positive addition. Many have issues with the timeliness of the passes.
“It’s troublesome to get your computer out, wait for it to load, enter information to go, then wait for teacher confirmation who may not even look at their screen,” sophomore Jason Ruiz said.
Students see the tedious process of asking for a digital pass to be a big waste of classroom time.
“It’s very annoying to have to get out my laptop and then write a pass. I liked just raising my hand, putting my phone on the table, and leaving. I do not like the pass system at all,” Maxwell Agyei, freshman said.
The last new addition is the free school lunch program. Students had a sneak peak of this during the school year of 2021-2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but had since gone back to paid school lunches.
However, now there is free breakfast in the morning before classes start, and free lunch during lunch periods. These meals are not just for students near the poverty line; they are accessible for all students.
“A free lunch option is great, especially for any student who might forget their lunch or maybe not otherwise be able to afford one on a daily basis,” Darren Kobliska, Social Studies teacher, said.
Students love the convenience of not having to worry about their school lunch account and it’s balance.
“It’s really good, because the lunches were so expensive, and they kept having to refill my account so often for some mediocre food,”
Matthew Aparri, senior, said.
All in all, these new policies are built to enhance the learning experience of students.
“We just try to keep kids safe,” Chlebek said.
