Last month, Don Lugo enacted a new policy that all students are to follow when leaving during class. Whether it be to the restroom, the counselor’s office, or to another teacher’s classroom, students are required to use the SmartPass site to make a virtual pass.
When a student wants to leave class for any reason, there is a standard procedure to follow. The student will need to go to their Classlink page on their phone or Chromebook, where they will find the SmartPass website and they should be automatically logged in. The student will then create a pass, select the room they are currently in, select the place on campus where they want to go, and how long they need to go round-trip. The next step is to request the pass from the teacher of the class they are in and the teacher can accept or decline the pass from their own computers. If the pass is accepted, the student is free to leave and return under the amount of time selected for their pass. When the student returns, they will close the pass.
Among the new policy, there has been a wide range of complaints from students. Some common criticisms have been about the timer. Students say five minutes is not enough time to use the restroom. Depending on where you are on campus, a round-trip to the only open restroom will typically take longer than five minutes. Students also say that possible bathroom lines are not being considered. Some say that the SmartPass is too much work to simply use the restroom. Others say that it will interrupt class time as the teacher will need to stop whatever they’re doing to accept the pass.
AP English and ERWC teacher, Mrs. Lord commented, “As with most new things, it becomes slightly more problematic at first, until we work out the kinks. Once we work out the kinks and we figure out what works, what doesn’t, then we can usually find a system that works. So initially it might cause some anxiety and difficulties, but if we can track that and refine it, then we can eliminate most of the problems.”
But like every policy enacted, there are goals behind it. The new SmartPass system can keep records of how often a student uses the restroom and helps to discourage unnecessary bathroom usage. Only time can tell how well this new system works among students.
