Students of Greenbrier West High School used their planners as hall passes. If a student needed to exit the classroom to go someplace else, the following had to be written on the planner: 

• The location the student would be going,
• The current date,
• The teacher’s name,
• The time when they left the class, 
• The time when they came back. 

     Of course, there were some downsides; planners could only have so many slots for hall passes, and students would be gone for so long and would never return to class. 

     All of that changes today with a NEW hall pass system known as Smartpass.

     As students already know, Greenbrier County West High School is using a new hall pass system; some students aren’t happy about it.

     Smartpass is very simple and easy to use; if you need to use the restroom or visit another classroom, you can click on what classroom you are in, and click on where you need to go. A limited amount of time will be given for you to visit any location in the school. Of course, this depends on where you go; the maximum time given for using the restroom is 7 minutes, 15 for the main office, 2 for the water fountain, etc.

     I interviewed three students to see what they think about Smartpass. Here are their thoughts

Student A

Questions:

Q: What is your opinion about this new hall pass system?

A: “It’s weird, it takes too much time.”

Q: How would you change the system if you could?

A: “I would make the menu user-friendly. I would make it to where you just have to put your initials in instead of putting your whole name in.”

Q: Would you rather go back to using our school planners as hall passes, or use Smartpass instead?

A: “Both have their ups and downs. For planners, you have to get your teacher’s signature. For Smartpass, you could just put your name, put where you’re going, and then go. But it gives you a limited amount of time to use the bathroom.”

Student B and C (2 people)

Q: What is your opinion about this new hall pass system?

A: “The system is dumb and impressive. Leaving the Chromebook open on your desk while you are gone is very unsafe; other students could access anything you have on there.”

Q: How would you change the system if you could?

“I would extend the bathroom timer up to 10 or 15 minutes.”

Q: Would you rather go back to using our school planners as hall passes, or use Smartpass instead?

“If I had to pick one, I’d use planners because using planners aren’t time-constricted.”

Student D

Q: What is your opinion about this new hall pass system?

A: “I don’t like how I’m being timed to go to the bathroom.”

Q: How would you change the system if you could?

“I would change it by just going back to using our planners.”

Q: Would you rather go back to using our school planners as hall passes, or use Smartpass instead?

“I would change it by just going back to using our planners.”

(When I asked this student the second question, they answered both the second and third before I asked about the third.)

There you have it. It seems that most students aren’t a fan of the Smartpass system. Sadly, I don’t believe anything about our hall pass system will change anytime soon, no matter how much students will complain. The best students can do is just create passes, go, hurry, and come back.