Increased Population, Size Brings Desire of a Longer Passing Period

Editorial

With the mass increase in population, the school administration needs to realize that the setup for passing periods will not cut it anymore.
Having tardies is a big deal and it is not fair to punish well-meaning students for being a little late to classes that they were forced to run across the campus to get to.
Many student feel stressed trying to get from the end of J-hall to C-hall in under five minutes. Finding themselves running from class to class puts all the people around them in danger. Also students don’t feel like they have enough time to run to the restroom, grab a water from the vending machines, or grab the proper supplies from their lockers before the bell.
Students and teachers alike complain that the hallways are just too crowded and at certain intersections there is the problem of complete stand stills where everyone is just waiting for their turn to get through.
If the administration would give us the one minute that they took away years ago, they would see a dramatic drop in the number of tardies and less students leaving class to go to the restrooms or their lockers to get supplies they forgot during class time. Most students at this school don’t have lockers or bags large enough to carry all the books and other supplies needed for their entire day, so many of them choose to leave some of their things in their cars or other classrooms and just run to get those supplies before class. But with only five minutes and so many people parading through the hallways, more often than not these students are stuck short of breath when the arrive at the door, and are still turned away to get a tardy pass.
Some teachers feel that even if the extra minute is added the majority of students would not utilize it wisely, instead spending more time standing in the hallway with friends, causing more traffic blockage in the hallway. Unfortunately, that already happens, and it is understood that those students will probably continue doing it. But that extra minute is really to assist to those countless students that truly want to make it to class on time. And lets face it, no matter how hard the school tries to place all the classes for each grade level near each other, it will not work for every class. Every student is required to take electives, and it will just not be possible to place every one of those classes in a convenient position for all students to get to in a timely manner.
The administration should seriously look into the possibility after returning the extra minute. It is possible the headaches of numerous tardies may finally subside.