As math teacher Zachary Harrell teaches his AP statistics lesson, a student approaches him to request a restroom pass, disrupting his instruction. Harrell has to pause, reach for a pass and sign the student’s name to make sure the student doesn’t face consequences for being in the hallway. This is part of a new policy that enforces a color-coded pass system for students whenever they need to leave the classroom, whether for restroom breaks or to collect belongings left in a previous class.

With a total of 2443 students on campus, the school needs to maintain a high level of organization to ensure everything runs smoothly, and the new pass system is part of this effort.

“The passes have been very effective because students would take advantage of it and roam around the hallways,” Principal Terry Mouton said. “For example, a student might go to the north side of the school when they are on the south side which disrupts the learning experience.” 

Some students believe that while the pass system is vital, it could use better organization. 

“It can cause some problems if unchecked, but it can help the school be more organized, and I think it is an effective way to keep kids in class,” freshman Aursh Tekken said. “But the idea of a teacher needing to make a new pass every time someone wants to go to the bathroom can become redundant.” 

The hallway passes were implemented due to increasing concerns about students skipping class and roaming the halls. However, some students still feel that the pass system is unnecessary.

  “The hall passes are kinda tedious and I don’t want to take a pass that someone else took to the bathroom because it is gross,” senior Nicko Dickens said. “They should just get rid of the passes and have people waiting in the halls to make sure people are where they need to be.” 

Teachers have modified the hall pass system to suit them better, such as English teacher Melissa Morgan, who has her students write their own passes.

“My opinion on the new hall pass policy is that it is very effective because it is keeping students accountable about their actions as far as staying in class,” Morgan said. “I feel like ninth graders this year are getting the information that they need, and with the new hall pass system in place, it is keeping kids accountable for getting their work done. I would not change it.”