As of September 25, 2023, Rutherford County has implemented their new electronic hall pass system (E-hall Pass) and attendance system (Flex) to monitor and keep track of the whereabouts of students. The implementation of these systems negatively impacts the emotional well-being of students and the flow of classrooms at Central Magnet School.  

Central Magnet prides itself on its students’ integrity as most students abide by an honor system. For example, Central provides a combination lock for students to put on their lockers if they so choose to, yet most students choose not to use a combination lock; often, when valuable items such as phones, AirPods, and even money go missing, people will return these items to the front desk. The physical system of a sign out sheet is not as strict as the E-Hall Pass system as it relies on students’ honesty; however, this has worked for both the students and teachers of Central Magnet because of cooperation between the two.

Moreover, the E-Hall Pass system was made to reduce class interruptions as everything is based online, but on the contrary, it causes even more disturbance. Previously, most classrooms just had a sign out sheet that students could easily fill out and then leave without interrupting the class. Now, with the E-hall pass system, teachers must approve students when they both leave and enter the classroom, and this process takes a substantial amount of time. While students are encouraged to only leave the classroom during independent work time, there are a plethora of cases in which waiting to leave is unreasonable.

The fact that students a) must make a pass, have the teacher approve it, and be under the pressure of a timer and b) have a limited number of passes creates a multitude of problems. During the day, students may experience digestive problems that must be immediately addressed; the E-Hall Pass system only exacerbates this condition by adding unnecessary barriers. Likewise, students who menstruate may also need to use the restroom multiple times a day to attend to their period, and the new system makes it unnecessarily more inconvenient to do so. These impediments have led students to rush to use the restroom during class changes or even choose to not use the restroom at all, and the needless pressure on students regarding when they can address their basic needs is detrimental to their mental health. Furthermore, due to the characteristic academic rigor of this school, students are prone to breakdowns from all the stress. During these emotional moments, students should be allowed privacy (in the restrooms) to take as long as they need to calm down. However, the E-Hall Pass system unjustly takes away this right in the same ways as mentioned above.

Overall, these systems are unnecessary at Central Magnet School due to the culture, stress, and additional interruptions in class. This policy is a precedent for future policies allowing for more intense monitoring of students and invasion of their privacy. Furthermore, the money used for these programs can be spent on more important issues like building repairs, school supplies, and textbooks. Please sign this petition in support of the elimination of the E-hall Pass and Flex systems.