Summary: We are constantly told that we're treated as adults in High School, but this year we're made to wear color-coded bathroom passes, monitored by mandatory computers, and our valued FlexTime is occupied with useless information. It sounds more like Juvenile. 

Sophia Mathieu, a Skyline student, has a meeting scheduled with the assistant principal to help bring our concerns to light. We are working closely together to ensure all our voices are heard, so please if you have any comments that you'd like to share directly with the assistant principal, reach out to her at @mb_soph04 on Instagram. The option to remain anonymous is there should you choose to do this.

More information about the petition and our plans to strengthen our voices is on the Instagram account: @fishbaitsharkbait

Recent changes in Skyline High School and Issaquah High School have brought a lot of anger and disappointment to its students, myself included. Unfortunately, these decisions were made without listening to teachers, our experts in education, and without listening to the concerns brought up by many affected parties. 

The mandatory laptop policy, specifying teachers to report students not using their school-given laptops, is damaging to students who need their personal devices for school. Students who've experienced troubles with organization and learning in the past found having their own devices to be extremely beneficial, and their teachers have worked with them to better support their learning. Having a computer for every student ready is a great idea, especially for those who cannot afford their own, but making it a mandatory practice only inhibits students from all walks of life. In addition, the monitoring of these laptops brings about many safety and security concerns. It's a violation of our privacy.

The erasure of FlexTime is taking away from highly valued time. Last year, I cannot count how many times FlexTime saved me from having to miss the bus because of a retake or from an extra one-nighter at home. It has also saved many teachers' time, as students would sign up and ask questions during Flex more often rather than wait to send a long email. FlexTime is a critical piece of Skyline's student success, and it also builds our ability to balance responsibilities. FlexTime has taught my fellow students and me many lessons about time management and planning ahead without having to come from the place of a sore grade or a talk with parents.

Now, with FlexTime, it's been argued that it won't be removed entirely. But when taking a look through the announcement my peers and I noticed that FlexTime will be limited to a few days of the month only when the SEL lessons have been completed. The SEL lessons, based on the COVID online year, were not only rushed but were also lacking in actual impact. The topics were handled poorly, and discussions were often highly uncomfortable. Replacing valuable work time with SEL lessons that do not help students and then further limiting FlexTime to such an extent completely erases what made this addition to our days function with the success it did. 

The bathroom passes are offensive to students and unhygienic at best. We're told we're adults, that we're being prepared for the real world, but now are forced to wear color-coded bathroom passes that limit which bathroom we choose to use. We can't take walks around the school even with the teacher's permission anymore. It sounds more like a detention center or juvenile than a high school where students can make their own choices. Those passes have already caused problems, as students have noticed how dirty they are even after just four days. Imagining how they'll look down the line of the school year brings up a very unpleasant sight. I know I'm not alone in thinking I'd rather skip a bathroom break than risk touching where that bathroom pass has been. Would you use the bathroom pass after 15+ high school students had it in the toilet with them? I would not. 

Finally, I'd like to bring this to a close by giving appreciation to our teachers and our amazing staff. Even in this time, they've come forward and supported us in any way they can. They're constantly looking for ways to help us in our learning. Thank you, Skyline and Issaquah Teachers and Staff.