Moving away from last year’s e-hallpass pilot program, teachers are now required to use the system if students need to leave the classroom for any reason.

Electronic passes are issued through e-hallpass for students to go to the restroom, other classes, the clinic, the learning commons, and other appointments. Also, teachers use e-hallpass to see how long and where students are if missing from class.

Narek Gasparyan, a senior and student-athlete at the high school, uses e-hallpass daily with no issues. That’s not the case for everyone. 

“It keeps track of where the students’ destination is and it lets the teachers know how long they’ve been gone for. In emergency situations, this can be very useful to find a student. Plus it keeps kids from being out of the class too long and not do dumb stuff,” Gasparyan said.

For Gia Casanta, a senior, teachers can be forgetful of making a future pass for a student and has noticed a disruption in class when teachers have to stop teaching to make a pass for a student. 

“Personally I just don’t like e-hallpass. I don’t think it is super helpful or efficient because some teachers forget to write you a pass or forget to let teachers know you’re in somebody else’s room or that you have gotten back from where you went,” Casanta said.

Not everyone is sold on the new system of the electronic pass, e-hallpass. According to EdSurge, e-hallpass can be an invasion of students’ privacy. Parents believe that the system is creepy and have even started online petitions for their schools to stop using electronic passes.

As a sophomore, Ty Brashear, looks at the school’s perspective on the online pass. Teachers and staff can easily track students to make sure they’re not messing around.

“I do think ehallpass is efficient because it’s now only allowing 15 kids into the hallways. I think it will keep kids from going somewhere where they shouldn’t be with other people they know,” Brashear said.

Attendance Secretary, Rachel Lantz, uses e-hallpass daily to make sure students are where they need to be.

“I think e-hallpass is a good way to track students and know where they are in the building. It is also useful to look back on e-hallpass history, if need be, and check to see the frequency and timing of consistent uses,” Lantz said.

E-hallpass isn’t just used to let students out of class, it is also used to track students in case of an emergency.

“E-hallpass has worked well in the office and has been a helpful resource. I would say it is a helpful tool that we can use for the student’s safety,” Lantz said.