On November 3, the administration staff of RHS implemented a new QR code hall pass system, where students scan a QR code with their cell phones to fill out a form to get a hall pass. However, many RHS families aren’t happy with this decision. 

Some claim that not everyone has a cell phone to use, others say that they’re very prone to closing tabs. Even if there is a paper version of this pass, students have said it’ll just be as easy to lose. 

“I get where the school is coming from, but it’s a bit too much,” One response says. A majority of RHS students claim that this should not be a permanent system and it will not work forever, according to a student conducted poll on the new hall pass system. Regardless of grade, the opinions are the same: the hall pass system is a fail.

Students also claim that it’s just a flat-out inconvenience. The form has to be filled no matter the distance to and from your destination. Whether it’s 20 feet away or across the school, the form must be filled out. This can be a problem for students that have an immediate emergency. 

Though students disagree with it, it has a purpose; to keep the students of RHS safe and learning. During the morning announcements on Nov. 3, it was stated that the hall pass is made to help ensure that students are learning in the classroom and not elsewhere. Students can go to class, ask to go to the bathroom, then they’ll wander the hallways and skip class. In September, there was also theft of bathroom items in the men’s restrooms, such as soap dispensers. This percentage of students is so few, but their actions have impacted the school’s decision and now it affects everybody. 

Not only do the students disagree with it, parents on the parent forums on Facebook are unhappy about it. Lots of parents argue that not every student has a cell phone. Cell phones are not cheap and many families cannot afford a cell phone for their kids that scan QR codes, let alone one at all. On top of that, cell phone plans can be very pricey. Many parents also do not let their children take their cell phone to school, in fears of the devices being a distraction. This has changed a lot since the pandemic began. 

Teachers also have their opinions on it. Though it keeps students learning in the classroom, there’s many classes where leaving the classroom is practically a necessity. These classes include Multimedia Communications and Photography. There are options on the form that say the student is out of the classroom for those specific classes. Many teachers understand the students’ viewpoints on the new hall passes, whether it’s the inconvenience or the “discrimination” to students who do not have a cell phone nor the funds to have one. 

Regardless of students and teachers, many do not agree with the hall pass system, and hope it will remain only temporarily.