In some of your classes, you may have found that the process of leaving the classroom, whether it’s to use the restroom or fill a water bottle, is a bit lengthier. This year, a select few LISD high schools and middle schools are assessing the effectiveness of a new hall pass system: LISD Hall Pass, an application in which students are required to fill out an online form before leaving their classroom. 

Students can access the LISD Hall Pass by logging into the ClassLink app on their school iPads. From there, students click on the LISD Hall Pass app and select their teacher and destination from the drop-down menus. Last, the student submits their request by clicking “Request Hall Pass”. This will send their form to their teacher’s device, where the teacher can either accept or deny the student’s request. If accepted, the Hall Pass starts a 10-minute timer which counts down the remaining time for the student’s break. Principal Chad Russell explains that the hall pass system has yet to be enforced district-wide. 

“LISD created an app. It’s a district-wide availability; all schools are available to use [the policy], but not all schools are,” Russell said. “We chose to use it, but only for teachers that wanted to, so we could test drive it, see whether we like it or not. If we do, then we’ll start looking at how we can implement it across the whole campus.”

To some, this change seems unnecessary; for years, the simplicity of asking to use the bathroom orally worked just fine. So, why the need for a new policy?  

“The basic need for it comes from teachers needing to be accountable for where their students are at any time,” Russell said. “It helps us to be more proactive. One of our emphasis for the year to address administratively as a teaching staff is to look at the traffic flow during instructional time.”

As with any new policy, the introduction of this new system has warranted a variety of responses, especially from teachers and students. Some educators like English teacher Allie Currin see more benefits to the policy than drawbacks. 

“Typically, in an English class like mine, I’m up moving around talking to students, so it’s really easy to forget how long someone’s been gone or how many students I have out,” Currin said. “In terms of my classroom management, I think [LISD Hall Pass] has made it easier for me to remember how long people have been out of my room and where they’re going.” 

Currin acknowledges that the system comes with its own set of challenges, which she hopes to see improved in the future. 

“It’s definitely more time-consuming,” Currin said. “I could just say, ‘Yeah, grab the pass and go’, whereas now I’ve got to walk back to my desk, hit accept, and then when [students] come back, mark that they’re back. But I think that’s just the learning curve, and eventually, I’ll get into a better practice of using it and it’ll be more efficient.”

While teachers like Currin see potential in the new system, student opinions are less optimistic. Senior Liz Goodspeed doesn’t share Currin’s positive sentiment, instead pointing out the system’s more prominent drawbacks than advantages. 

“Every time I’ve used [the LISD Hall Pass], I have to go up to the teacher and ask [them] to go to the bathroom anyways, because [they don’t] see [the request],” Goodspeed explained. “I feel like it’s kind of inconvenient for both of us, and it’s more time-consuming.”

Time will only tell whether or not the LISD Hall Pass will be further implemented at Flower Mound High School. Ultimately, the success of the LISD Hall Pass system will depend on its ability to balance the needs of administrators, teachers, and students. Whatever the outcome, this initiative serves as a compelling example of how schools are leveraging technology to address long-standing challenges in education.