Annoying. Over-complicated. Horrible. Lengthy. These are all words that Township students have used to describe this year’s updated hall pass policy. QR code sign outs are a thing of the past… make way for a multi-step pen and paper system.

Many students had become used to QR codes during the no-contact pandemic times. A quick scan with an iPad, or more likely with a cell phone, led students to a Google form that asked a few quick questions before submission. Then, when students returned to class, they were meant to scan and fill it out again. I found this process a little tedious, but overall effective. 

However, the new system takes signing out to a whole new level. On the first day of school, every student was issued an MT agenda, usually used to keep track of assignments and due dates. This year, however, students were directed to the back pages of the book, to a section labeled “hall pass.”

The process to leave class, whether it be for the bathroom or even to get water, is now much more complicated. First, you fill out the tiny boxes in the agenda asking what time you are leaving, what room you are in, and where you are going. Next, take the agenda up to your teacher and ask for them to initial a box barely large enough for a single letter. But before you can leave, you have to fill out the same questions on a separate sheet by the door. As you go, don’t forget to take the agenda with you! In this system, it serves as a sort of physical hall pass. Finally, when you return to class, you must mark the time on the main sign out sheet as well as the one in your agenda.

It’s dizzying. The right idea is there, of course. The school wants to keep track of students to ensure their safety and maximize their learning time. However, in my opinion, the school administration has over-complicated the process. I, as I’m sure many other students do, understand why a change from the QR code system was necessary. Many teachers struggled last year with students pointing a cell phone in the general direction of the QR code and then leaving without following the sign out process. But a more complex procedure won’t solve those problems. If anything, it frustrates students and makes them look for loopholes. 

I sometimes hear someone ask my teacher to go to the bathroom, pen and agenda in hand, as class starts. Rather than take the time to fill it out, the teacher simply waves them away since instruction hasn’t begun. So if a more effective policy is what the administration is seeking, this is not the way.

Again, I bring up the word “over-complicated.” That’s truly the best way to describe it. I believe the system has its benefits; a physical hall pass is clearer and having to directly approach the teacher allows them to be more aware. However, the amount of signatures needed is where the system begins to falter. Who is going through the pages upon pages of sign outs, checking to see who was in the bathroom for how long? 

In order to combat this, I propose the school return to basic, physical hall passes. Not an agenda, but a plastic or metal keychain-like object that a student must grab as they leave the classroom. Plus, having only one or two per class limits the number of students leaving at once. If a student is going to the bathroom for twenty minutes each day, it is up to the teacher to notice that pattern and take action. However, I believe the majority of MT students are more than capable of being self-sufficient.