SmartPass, the new electronic pass system implemented this school year, has been a point of contention among students and staff alike. The system can track how many students are in an area, how long students are out of class, or patterns in pass usage. This information is accessed and used by administrators.
Canton Wetzel, a student at Frederick High, said that while people who often use the bathroom for a long time can get caught more easily, the two-pass limit has become very frustrating and inconvenient. This limit makes it so students can only have two hall passes per day. He also stated that with the addition of SmartPass, the 10/10 rule (which prohibits leaving class in the first or last 10 minutes) should be removed, since students are already being monitored more closely. Mrs. Scott, an English teacher at Frederick High, disagrees. She stated that SmartPass is definitely worth it: “[It allows] us to have more monitoring in the hallway to ensure that students are maximizing their instructional time.”
Mr. Chary, the assistant principal in charge of SmartPass, shares the same sentiment. When asked if the system will improve class cuts, he stated that people who cut class most likely aren’t getting a pass in the first place. Despite this, “We know who has permission really easily by just looking at the dashboard… [it improves] hallway usage tremendously and we are already seeing a huge difference.” Many students have mentioned issues with the 10/10 rule. Mr. Chary said that the rule would still be necessary “because the first and last 10 minutes is not just about being in the hallway; it’s about minimizing the disruption to class.” He did acknowledge that using the bathroom during class time is difficult, but the administrators want to keep the beginning and end of class “sacred.” The other major complaint about SmartPass is the two-pass limit. According to Mr. Chary, there are many other options for pass limits. “We can set it for a semester, for a week, for a day… Our thinking was to try to put ourselves in the place of a student and be reasonable…
With all of the transitions, with lunch, with the time before school, and with the time after school, we felt there was plenty of opportunity.” He also mentioned that if there is a medical issue that requires more frequent bathroom or hallway use, a student can contact their AP, and with justification, the pass limit can be adjusted individually. Mr. Chary’s favorite part of SmartPass is that it “gives us more control and accountability.” One feature of SmartPass that Mr. Chary wants to utilize is reporting to parents the amount of time students spend outside of class. This can help parents understand why a student is performing the way they are in school. Despite this, Mr. Chary said that SmartPass is “not easy to set up” and required a lot of time before school to configure. He also noted that it is still not fully set up and that they are working out certain issues with the system itself, such as updating which class each student is in. He explained that the admin are working to update these issues and make SmartPass as simple as possible.
