UPDATE: New policy restricts hall pass use

Administrators placed restrictions on hall pass distribution this year to reduce student truancy, according to Assistant Principal Linda Wanner. The policymakers intend to keep students out of the halls and safe in the classroom.

Under the new policy, teachers are encouraged not to sign hall passes. Principal Phillip Gainous asked teachers "not to issue passes for students unless the teacher has good reason to," Wanner said.

The hall pass policy was first implemented last year when teachers in the new ninth grade wing decided to limit hall passes for freshman, according to Assistant Principal Patricia Hurley. "The teachers thought there would be a better chance [the students] would stay in class and learn," she explained. Hurley claimed the policy's implementation was successful, citing data that more students were eligible for participation in extracurricular activities. "I doubt it was just the passes, because we implemented a lot of different policies, but [the hall pass policy] has a significant effect," she said.

Every year, at the Instructional Learning Team's (ILT) summer retreat, Gainous emphasizes that the staff is not obligated to let students out of class, Hurley said. "Kids are capable of going to the bathroom between classes or waiting for 90 minutes," she said. "Mr. Gainous lets the staff know that they have administrative support if they decide not to give passes."

According to Hurley, school administration developed the policy during the second semester of the last school year and recommended it to the ILT. The ILT agreed to the changes during the summer retreat this year. "[The staff] figured, if ninth graders can handle the restrictions, certainly tenth, eleventh and twelfth graders can," Hurley said.

English teacher Sarah McLean supports the administration's move. "There's less commotion in the hallways, less distractions, and less gang activity," she said. "However, it's tough to enforce and to know when there is an emergency."

While gang activity was not the driving force behind the policy's implementation, Hurley admitted that the administration hopes the policy can contribute to reducing gangs' presence at Blair. "[Gang activity] was not a catalyst," she said. "If we have kids in the classroom, then everyone who doesn't belong in the school, or does belong at school but should be in class, will stick out like a sore thumb."

Wanner agreed with Hurley. "The policy is not related to gangs; it's just making certain the school is secure," she said. "We want to know where our students are."

The policy does not prohibit the use of hall passes, Wanner explained. "Teachers have to use discretion," she said. "I'm not going to say no one can ever be issued a pass; students just need to be more responsible."

Often, students claim they left a book in their locker and obtain a hall pass, only to skip the rest of the period, explained Security Team Leader Edward Reddick. "Some kids tell teachers they want to go to the bathroom as a way to get out of class," he said. "This is an avoidance policy – the primary reason is to keep kids in class. If you're not in class, and you don't have a legitimate reason, you're held accountable."