NEW SECURLY PASS SPARKS CONTROVERSY

AFTER ASKING TO USE THE RESTROOM, STUDENTS ARE PROMPTED TO MAKE A PASS; PHOTO BY JULIETA ORTIZ

The new electronic pass system, Securly Pass, was set into motion on Monday, January 13th. The system is still in its early stages and changes can be made where seen fit. Securly Pass is located in the CCA Bookmarks. As of right now, students have three passes a day and can add up to ten favorite locations to make it faster when creating a pass. Currently, passes are automatically approved but in the future, teachers may have to approve the pass. Nevertheless, even with the autopass, teachers must still be informed when students leave the classroom for safety reasons. 

The Anchor sent out a survey to the student body to get feedback on the new online passes. There were 51 total respondents among students of all grade levels. Most people, 55%, said they think the new pass system is easy to use or is sometimes easy to use while 27% said that it’s not easy to use and the remainder said they haven’t used it yet. One common concern of students is the limit of three passes a day. Students are concerned about being limited for the number of times they can leave to refill their water bottles, use the restroom, etc. They are also concerned about having emergencies and wasting too much time creating the pass or being out of passes for the day but needing to go to the restroom for an emergency. The good news is that teachers are able to override it and permit students to use the restroom if it is an emergency. It is also important to note that we are still in the early trial stages of Securly Pass and the amount of passes and time for each pass can later be changed if it does not work out.

Students also had many questions about Securly Pass. One question that was frequently asked was, what do you do if you need to create a pass but your Chromebook is dead? If a student's Chromebook is dead or otherwise cannot create a pass, teachers can create a bathroom pass for them. Another question was, will band and/or choir lessons and going to the counselors count towards the limit of three passes a day? Right now it's just for bathroom passes but eventually, other passes for other things may be created and would be separate. A third question that students asked was how the online pass system will work in classes where your Chromebook is not nearby, such as Physical Education. For Physical Education classes, there’ll eventually be a kiosk with either an iPad or computer to check in and out as you leave the classroom to use the restroom.  

There is a wide spectrum of opinions on the new passes. Students range from not caring about it that much to finding it slightly inconvenient to feeling like it’s unnecessary and a waste of time. When asked if there is anything they would change about the new pass system, students had a lot to say. A common response was to add more passes each day instead of the current limit of three, or to get rid of the limit completely. Others also said that it shouldn’t be timed because some classrooms are further away from bathrooms and for when students are menstruating and need to change period products. Many students feel that these limits are unfair and unnecessary for the majority of students who have never misused the previous passes. They feel like it’s a punishment for everyone because of the actions of a few. One idea proposed was that students could use the old paper pass system or have unlimited passes up until they misuse them and mess around. Then they could get limits as a way to be held accountable. But the amount of passes a day can change because it’s still in the experimental stage. A few students brought up the idea of having an iPad or Chromebook by the door of all classrooms for students to use before they leave to use the restroom instead of using their own Chromebooks to make it easier. 

As we move forward let’s keep in mind that just like with the other changes this school year, we will adapt to it and if the system does not seem to work, adjustments can be made to better suit the needs of the students and teachers.