In the week returning from spring break, Liberty administration announced a new system for authorizing digital passes to and from classrooms. The new system, SmartPass, is a digital hall pass system that serves to eliminate traditional hall passes, such as lanyards, paper passes and sign-out sheets. In order to leave class, students are required to use their Chromebooks to start an e-pass. This process involves selecting a pass type (bathroom, locker, water fountain, etc.) and setting a timer for the pass. The maximum amount of time for a pass varies depending on the destination. For example, students are allowed up to five minutes for bathroom and locker visits and three minutes to go to the water fountain. Students are also able to request passes to visit the guidance, health and administrative offices.
Liberty has implemented the SmartPass system in an attempt to monitor how much time students spend out of class. Administration and teachers hope to use this information to crack down on students who spend too much time out of the classroom, students wandering the halls, in the bathroom, etc.
Many students, including myself, have issues with the new pass system such as the inconvenience and inefficiency caused by creating a pass. Getting out and logging in to my Chromebook in the middle of class not only disrupts my learning but also the students around me. These issues are exacerbated by slow internet speeds and poorly functioning Chromebooks. The process of creating an e-pass takes significantly more time than simply asking to leave the room with a traditional paper or lanyard pass.
Additionally, I believe that it is unfair that the whole of the student body has to abide by this system that is targeting a small demographic of students. To me, a better solution would be to have only select students using the e-pass system, students with a history of attendance issues.
Another issue with the pass system is the limitations it imposes on the amount of time and number of times students are allowed to leave the classroom. The system does not take into account students who may have health issues that require more bathroom passes or students who menstruate who may need more bathroom passes during their cycle. It also restricts students from taking short mental health breaks during classes. For many students, short brain breaks are necessary during long and stressful school days.
From my research, I found that SmartPass costs between two and five dollars per student, which adds up to several thousand dollars. In a time when public school funding is sparse, I think this money could be used more productively.
Overall, there are many issues students have with the SmartPass system. I believe that this new pass system puts a strain on the trust that school staff has in students. In order for our school to be a comfortable and welcoming environment, students, teachers, and administrators must trust each other.
