By: Caroline Hathorn, Amaia Colón, and Alina Singh

As a result of Conard's new online pass system, computers have started appearing in every classroom, requiring students to sign their name and choose their destination before leaving class. When a student signs out, hall monitors are sent the student’s name and picture, as well as the location they are coming from and going to. Each student can set how much time they need for each location, the maximum being seven minutes when using the bathroom. In this article, we will interview teachers and students on their opinions of this new system and review the pros and cons that come with it. 

 

The Basics

Conard High School has switched from physical passes to the new SmartPass system in the past few weeks. This change is supposed to enhance student accountability, increase protection, and improve staff-student communication, along with maintaining the latest advances in technology. Recognizing the reasons and benefits associated with this new system will be important as we adapt to it. The main reason for converting to SmartPass is to constantly be able to view where students are in real-time. Staff members and hall monitors are able to track exactly which classroom a student is leaving from and heading toward. This system lessens the possibility of students wandering and helps to ensure they are in secure surroundings. Both teachers and students can better manage their time and responsibilities with SmartPass. It is a way for students to practice responsibility so they can keep track of the amount of valuable lesson time they could possibly be missing out on, and it helps them decide when it is a good time to leave. For teachers, the system is a way to keep track of how long students have been out of the classroom for. Increased safety and protection are both of the SmartPass system's primary benefits. In previous years, if a student failed to show up at the next class with a physical pass, this caused challenges and concerns. Because the system monitors where they are, those issues are now minimized. SmartPass also adds an additional level of security to Conard by preventing students from being able to sign out in the case of an emergency that requires nobody leaving the classroom. SmartPass demonstrates how committed administrators are towards creating an environment of safety for everybody in the building. 

 

What do the Teachers Think?

The SmartPass system has shown great impacts on student habits and time management. Teachers think SmartPass will drastically improve behavior, especially with the destruction of school bathrooms. So far, students in their classes have been very careful about time management and making sure they return on time. Feedback from students and teachers has been very positive. Mr. Rush said, “My students have been using SmartPass very effectively, and I really like not having the lanyards anymore because they would constantly become damaged or disappear.” Mrs. Humiston added, “The new system makes my day easier and sets a good tone in the school.” Since the school year started, we've seen many good outcomes. Students are following SmartPass, which makes teaching easier and the school more orderly. The system is simple and efficient.

 

Students’ Perspectives

Overall, teachers and other staff had a very positive opinion on the new pass system. However, when it comes to students, the consensus falls much more on the negative side. When asked, three students had similar things to say. Lily Chirdon, a sophomore, stated Filling out the information to create a pass on SmartPass “wastes time when you could be in class.” This student refers to the step-by-step process of accessing a pass, whether using the bathroom or simply getting a drink of water. She continues to say, “It’s annoying that you have to wait in line to use the bathroom, because there are multiple bathrooms on the floor, and there’s only one option on SmartPass, so even if the bathroom isn’t full, you can’t go.” This is referencing the rule that when signing out, a student can only choose one option based on the floor and classroom they’re near. Regarding the issue of not being able to go to the bathroom because of a limit, another student, Hazel Montanari, asks, “What if you have to use the bathroom and it’s an emergency?… it’s sad that you’d have to tell a teacher that.” She explains how that could make the student uncomfortable. When asked about improvements that could be made to the system, she said, “A longer time limit.” Another student, a junior who would prefer to remain anonymous, said, “I don’t like the urgency it sets on using the bathroom… it’s the only time in school when I don’t feel like I’m under pressure…and what I think could be improved about it... I think a larger extension of time on the pass, and I also think it would be good to increase[the limit to] more than five people in the bathroom.” These students all seem to be saying very similar things, and these problems could easily be solved with small improvements to how these passes are run.

 

Conclusion

Overall, the school’s reaction is divided—there’s no general consensus. Teachers seem to like it, while students are unsure. The website is fairly easy to navigate, and more people can go from a class at once instead of having to wait as a whole class shares one lanyard with the class number on it. There are definitely improvements that could be made, specifically the ability to choose which bathroom you want to go to so you don’t have to wait in line. We think this would greatly improve how this system runs! We trust all of the classrooms will have students utilizing the SmartPass system in the months to come. Our goal is to introduce this technology progressively to ensure everybody may become used to it. As our principal, Mrs. Tamborello Noble, says, “Adjusting to anything new takes time; if students have any feedback, stop me in the hallway and let me know how it's going; we hope this is a positive step for students.”