Hudson High School is implementing regulations for the Flex Pass and parking pass more than in previous years.
Principles are on duty to direct traffic throughout the parking lots, and constantly enforcing students having their parking passes visible and parking in the correct parking designations. Lunch periods are overflowing with students this year with 600 students in just 6th period. Lunch aids have had to direct students to sit on bleachers in the gymnasium and overfill the courtyard with students as well.
The Flex Pass is initiated for students to leave during their designated study hall period. Students are only permitted to leave during lunch or explorer periods if their study hall aligns with it.
(Ellie Firzlaff)
An inference to why students are not allowed to leave during just a lunch period could be because it is a shorter period of time compared to a class period. However, lunch periods are 30 minutes with an extra 10 minutes between getting to lunch from class, and getting to class from lunch; leaving students with a 40 minute gap.
If a student wanted to get lunch anywhere in the downtown square, it would take anywhere from five to eight minutes to get there, so 10-16 minutes round trip. This leaves students with over 20 minutes to get something to eat which proves any statement about not enough time, false. Any student who also lives near the school campus could go home and have lunch there.
Students being tardy since it’s a shorter period of time could also be a potential concern. Having the flex pass also means being tardy to a period after your study hall can cause it to be taken away from you; Similarly, if students cannot handle coming back in time after lunch, they can have that privilege taken away from them. Again, containing the Flex Pass is a privilege and can be revoked at any time of misuse.
The school allowing flex passes to be used during lunch periods could help with overcrowding within the lunch rooms and designated senior areas since students who can drive are able to leave. Complaints have also been said of the unnecessarily long lines students have to wait in to receive their lunches. That being said, Clearing up the space and amount of students in the commons could resolve this issue as well.
As a bonus, leaving during lunch could also allow for the students to wind down and relax before the following period. school causes loads of stress on student’s so letting students have time to reset could be beneficial to students mental health as well as performance.
As for the parking pass, parking is chaotic in Hudson High School parking lots. Between students not showing their pass as well as parking in the wrong spots and especially sections, the responsibility is clearly lacking. An easy way to resolve this issue is color coding. A simple kindergarten tactic could resolve some of this mess.
To ensure that students are parking exactly where they’re supposed to be also promotes fairness because it allows for students who are older and who have been there longer to have an opportunity to park closer to the building and get a better parking spot. Sophomores having the furthest parking, then Juniors and then staff and seniors having very similar distances, has been a rule in place for many years, so it’s very unfair to seniors to have juniors parking in spots that are designated for them. The same thing goes with sophomores parking in the junior lot. Those spots are specifically meant for the juniors and juniors only.
Color coating the spots could promote clear rules, leaving no room for excuses when they are not followed. That being said, students are more likely to follow the rules because they are right in front of them and it won’t be easy to get away with.
With every parking pass, between staff, seniors, juniors, and sophomores, there is a color on the pass indicating the grade level the driver is in. There is a ton of confusion with where exactly the section cuts off per grade. For juniors this year, the color is yellow. That being said, if there was yellow marking on parking spots juniors can park in that’d be helpful for the students, and for the staff to recognize when students are misusing their pass privilege. Since the color on the pass will be different from the color that they are parked on, it’ll be easy to notice when a student isn’t in the correct spot.
Color coding parking passes just promotes a more safe and enjoyable environment for the school and for the students and can also show responsibility since the students can declare whether they should be able to have their parking pass based on their decisions in the parking lot.
