This school year, North High introduced a hallway pass policy, joining several other schools that have implemented similar systems. Under the new rule, students must carry paper or preprinted passes signed by a teacher before leaving class. The passes typically include the student’s name, the time, the destination, and the teacher’s signature. So far, nearly all teachers are enforcing the policy, and hall monitors are active during all periods.

”I like them a lot,” mathematician teacher Mr. Zak said. “I can’t believe we didn’t have hall passes for like 100 years.”

Schools state the policy aims to improve safety, reduce wandering and increase accountability for hallway movement. In previous years, North High operated without a formal pass system, if teachers used passes, they did so informally. As an advantage to this new policy, fewer students are seen wandering or distracting other classrooms.

 “Clearly, hallway passes are extremely important in maintaining hallway vacancy during crucial school hours,” junior Stanley Tsai said. “This is especially important to ensure that students are in the school building to learn as they decrease hallway wandering while increasing learning productivity.” 

Early feedback, however, brings into question whether or not the policy is truly enhancing the educational experience. Understandably, not all staff and students are thrilled with this new policy as writing out passes repeatedly can disrupt the flow of classes. 

“The hallway passes are a waste of time to write and I don’t see any significant benefit for the students or  staff,” freshman Chloe Chan said. 

What seems like a few seconds per student can significantly accumulate during periods when many students need to leave. Teachers have also expressed frustration with the constant disruptions. Some teachers even describe the process as a distraction in their lesson plans as it interrupts their train of thought. Although the purpose of the pass is clear, its practicality remains uncertain.

“The passes interfere with the instruction of a class, especially when a teacher has to stop everything to write a date and time,” junior NiuNiu Kong said. “I don’t see how this will be sustainable for a long time.” 

Many students agree that the system could be modernized.

“Paper passes are a waste of time and resources, and teachers should use reusable passes that can save both of those things,” junior Kendall Aufenanger said. 

In response, some teachers have taken innovative approaches to reduce the time spent writing out passes. A few health teachers have laminated their passes, which already include their signatures, allowing them to reuse passes with dry-erase markers and save some time. Other teachers have decided to replace written passes entirely with classroom objects such as small globes or trophies as a hallway pass. These improvised passes, though technically unsatisfying the policy’s requirement, increase instructional productivity as they are faster and less disruptive.

The hallway pass policy is an effort to balance student autonomy with school safety and operational consistency. On the other hand, the growing frustration among both students and teachers suggests that the system may require revision to become effective in practice. 

While order and accountability are important, efficiency in learning is equally as essential. As the semester continues, administrators may need to consider adjustments or alternatives that more efficiently uphold safety without sacrificing instructional time.