Paper hall passes are going out of style, and technology has taken over.

This year, KHS started using E-Hall Pass. The program allows students to request a pass from their teacher to leave the room via their computer, which is then approved by their teacher. However, many students said they have a negative opinion about the system, while other teachers have positive ones. 

Holly Cochran, sophomore, said she does not like E-Hall Pass. She thinks it does not work as well as paper hall passes and is more complicated than it needs to be. 

“Paper hall passes are more efficient,” Cochran said. “They are easier to get out, and they don’t rely on technology.” 

With E-Hall Pass, teachers have to stop what they are doing to request or approve the pass via computer or phone. They can also use it to keep track of when students left the room. 

“There are good and bad things about E-Hall Pass, but for the most part I don’t like it,” Mary Barbieri, sophomore, said. “It is more COVID-19 safe, but I don’t like that you have to get out your computer every time you leave.”

While most students said they do not like E-Hall Pass for inconvenience, some teachers said they enjoy it. Larry Anderson, German teacher, sees both the positives and negatives of E-Hall pass.

“It is not easy to work through, but it is practical if the kids know how to use it,” Anderson said. “If they don’t know how to use it, I have to help them and stop whatever I am doing. That’s the frustrating part.” 

On the other hand, Molly Stephenson, English teacher, said she likes E-Hall Pass. She said she believes it is a great way to keep tabs on the students and where they are going. 

“I like it because, once when I was at a different school district, I had to testify in court about attendance and if a student was in my class or not,” Stephenson said. “It’s difficult to keep track of so many people. Sometimes teachers are afraid to send their students to use the restroom, because they are afraid they won’t come back in time.”

Along with helping her track students, Stephenson noticed other changes. She said E-Hall Pass benefits her in ways a normal hall pass would not.

“I have noticed students come back much quicker with E-Hall Pass because they know that the timer is ticking down,” Stephenson said. “It helps the administration see patterns.”

Anderson said he does not find it logical for him to stop what he is doing in class to approve a pass. But he believes the effectiveness of E-Hall Pass relies on what someone is trying to do when leaving the room. 

“If only some teachers use E-Hall Pass, and [the] expectation is not held [that all teachers use it], it might not stick around,” Anderson said. “Right now my expectation is that it does stick around, and I hope it does.”

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