At the start of the 2023-2024 school year, a new hall pass was implemented at Bonita Vista High (BVH). The purpose of this new pass was not only to ensure students safety but also guarantee students are leaving class for appropriate reasons. BVH Principal Lee Romero gives insight into why multiple hall passes have been created in the past year.
“When the E-hall pass (EHP) was in motion, it cost us quite a bit of money. After consideration among staff and students, we decided we were not going to bring back the EHP,” Romero said. “Campus assistants would have to verify that students were going to the corresponding place and would have to check online. It was an extra step whereas this new pass is the same across all classrooms and makes it easier for everyone.”
Unlike previous hall passes, the updated version requires students to attach their school ID to a specific clipboard for campus assistants to verify that students are using the passes during appropriate times. Ultimately, encouraging students to carry their student ID’s on campus.
“[The student ID requirement] is a safety precaution. It doesn’t allow strangers to come on campus to roam around under our noses. It helps us be aware if a student is truly someone who should have a hall pass or not and allows us to identify the student,” Romero said.
With the latest hall pass, comes new policies. Aside from a school ID card being attached, students receive a maximum of four hall pass uses per semester. This is to ensure that students are not taking advantage of the passes and causing issues in the restrooms. However, this has raised concerns for students like senior Bella Araujo who faces health issues.
“I’m worried for those with bladder issues because they can’t use the bathroom right then and there. I truly feel like it’s not fair for all students because you need to stay hydrated and you shouldn’t have to resort to holding it in because one student decides to just talk with their friends,” Araujo said.
Similar to Araujo, Advance Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) Environmental Science and Biology teacher Jennifer Ekstein understands the urgency of restroom availability for different students and shares similar concerns about this new hall pass.
“For females, there should be a little wiggle room for obvious reasons and if you had a bladder infection, I’m not going to say ‘no, you can’t go.’ There are times you’re going to let a kid go beyond four if they make good choices. I think the limit of four is to deter students from abusing the pass,” Ekstein said.
Furthermore, Ekstein understands the importance of student bathroom emergencies and is lenient towards exceeding the pass usage limit if necessary. Romero reassures this concern for those with health issues. Students who are disobeying the limit of four bathroom passes will not be allowed to go over the rule as tracked by campus assistants.
“We put that standard out there because we see some students taking advantage of all passes from students needing to use the restroom. So if the same kids are walking around, it gives us an opportunity to say you need to be in class. Let me be clear that if a kid has a medical issue, they will use the bathroom more frequently. We’re never going to stop that,” Romero said.
Staff and students felt a great sense of relief obtaining a new hall pass as the EHP sparked many issues during its time. Including slow Wi-Fi one of which Senior Bella Araujo had personally experienced. Furthermore, it was unpractical for teachers to monitor how long a student was in the bathroom and accept hall pass requests at the same time.
“There were instances where I needed to use the bathroom but the Wi-Fi was slow causing the E-hall pass to not load. Other times it shows all the bathrooms were full so I had no other choice but to wait. I always thought “what was the point of that timer if people were selfish and didn’t come back until 30 minutes later?” Araujo said.
Due to a number of passes being established, staff and students hope that this new hall pass is here to stay. Although the current hall pass system is still transitioning considering new student IDs are being handed out, Ekstein expects good results to come out of this new pass.
“I’ve already had a conversation with a couple of kids that have taken the hall pass and they understand that when you abuse a hall pass, they’re the ones missing instructional time. I see this being almost a lesson for students to understand that this is on them,” Ekstein said
As the need for an efficient hall pass system is apparent, Ekstein explains how students must utilize their passes and make good use of the time they spend out of class. Furthermore, she expresses her thoughts towards the students who consistently wander around campus.
“Here’s the crux of the matter, if students didn’t mess around and walk around or do anything illegal, then we wouldn’t actually need better passes because we would give you the freedom to make good choices,” Ekstein said. “The reason why we all have one pass is because those students are the ones that are making the poor choices and are ruining it for the those that make the good choices. It’s unfortunate, really.”
