Torrington High School is making a major change to how students leave the classroom. Instead of carrying a paper pass, students will soon be using a digital system to sign in and out of class. Already implemented at Torrington Middle School, the electronic hall pass system is now making its way to THS, aiming to improve efficiency, reduce paper waste, and save money.
The shift to digital hall passes comes with several benefits. Administrators hope the system will make it easier to track student movement, reduce classroom disruptions, and eliminate the need for teachers to constantly sign paper passes. Additionally, the move aligns with the school’s efforts to be more environmentally friendly by cutting down on unnecessary paper use.
Principal Mr. Scott shares they aim to solve the problem of “being able to account for students in case of emergencies.” With this digital pass system, teachers and administrators can simply look online to see where students are at any given time. In the event of an emergency, staff can quickly locate students who are outside of the classroom.
The school also sees this transition as a way to reduce class disruption. With paper passes, teachers have to take the time to write out a pass, possibly in the middle of a lesson. By switching to electronic hall passes, students will have access to the system on their computers and will have the independence to sign themselves in and out of class.
“Now that students can log on to the system and make their own passes after asking the teacher in the room if it is ok, teachers are freed up from having to stop teaching to write a paper pass,” Ms. Whaley, a teacher at Torrington Middle School explained. “Students can also make plans with teachers ahead of time and the teacher can schedule a pass for learning lab time to give students assistance or to make up quizzes or work.”
While some students worry that electronic passes will be restrictive, the system actually allows for more independence. “Students know that they are free to go to the bathroom or get water 4 times a day, no questions asked. If they need to go to the nurse or the library or other places, it does not impact their 4 pass allotment,” Ms. Whaley writes.
At the high school, Mr. Marchand explains that they are planning on asking students how many passes they will need a day for the bathroom. He states a letter will go out in the coming weeks that will “ask input from students about how long they think they need for bathroom breaks and how many passes they think they need.”
While the transition may take some getting used to, THS hopes that the new system will create a smoother, more efficient, and environmentally friendly way for students to move around the school. Check out the views of staff reporter Maddie McGillicuddy on this change here.
