AT recently provided every teacher with a new hall pass in an effort to reduce the number of students loitering in the hallways and creating many mixed reactions.
The new passes are wooden and measure 9×6.” Previously, passes were mere 3×4 slips of paper in a plastic lanyard. The aim of the larger, wooden pass is to ensure that hall monitors can identify which students are rightfully in the hallway, as student’s ability to hide the old passes in their pockets made it difficult to distinguish which students did not have a pass.
“The [new] passes are more prominent and can’t just be hidden in your pocket,” said AT Principal Jack Andrews. “This allows our staff to know who is supposed to be in the hall. These passes are one less interaction we have to have between staff and students. If they’re holding a pass we know it’s a quick run to the washroom.”
Each pass also features the name and department of the teacher whose room it belongs in and drilled holes for the optional addition of a handle or lanyard, making it easier to identify students who have wandered unnecessarily far from their class.
Overall, hall monitors reported that the passes have been successful so far.
“It’s a lot easier for me to not have to ask kids where their pass is. Before, it was hard to identify who was where they were supposed to be because kids hid passes in pockets or claimed they did,”
In spite of the passes’ ability to keep order in the hallways during class, they have received harsh criticism from some students and staff. The passes are bulky, loud when dropped, and often difficult to find a place for while students use the restroom. Opening the bathroom door during class often yields a sight of large wooden passes in sinks, on the floors, on the dryers, and more, leading students to question their cleanliness.
“They’re too much. They’re just too big for no reason. Like, when you go to the bathroom, where do you put them?” said sophomore Emili Diaz. “At least with the lanyards, you didn’t have to touch them and make them extra dirty. Do the teachers even sanitize them? I don’t think so,” she added.
Others agreed.
“Bro they are horrible. Like what the heck is that. It’s like a block of wood,” said senior John Edwards.
Some students, however, expressed being unbothered by, or liking the passes. Sophomore Angelina Altuzar said that she thought they were a positive addition to the school.
“I think they’re really cool. I like them because they are unique to each class and we don’t have to use so much paper anymore,” she said.
Sophomore Caroline Thomas even said that she is often entertained by the new passes.
“It’s really funny to hear them dropping in the hallway when you’re in a classroom,” she said.
Teachers also reported a number of opinions about the passes, with the overwhelming feeling being that they are an upgrade from the previous ones.
However, some teachers felt more skeptical, reporting struggles bringing them from room to room or even outright confusion at the passes’ functionality.
“I’m not touching that thing,” said social studies teacher Tom Hubner. “Where do kids even put them when they’re in the bathroom?”
As the new hall passes aim to provide a solution to pass problems in the halls, students and staff are still working to find a solution to new problems brought about by the new wood blocks they must carry.
