What is a Smart Pass, you may be wondering? Well, students at JCHS have many things to say about it. It is a digital platform that various schools have begun using in order to regulate where and when students leave their class. How it works is simple: students have to login with their school computer, and then pick where they are headed when they leace class. SmartPass is supposed to be used whenever a student is leaving a class, no matter the circumstance. For example, if you need to use the bathroom, go to the nurse, guidance, it needs to be logged on the platform.

SmartPass also gives you an allotted time for where you are going. Students typically have 7 minutes to leave, get to the bathroom, and come back within that time frame. If they exceed the time of their pass, there can be consequences, especially if it is habitual. However, simply exceeding your pass a few times shouldn’t result in a punishment, unless it is clear students are taking advantage and wandering around the school, which is prohibited. 

This may sound like a very sound and realistic piece of technology to help the school, but it does have its flaws. Firstly, students dislike it. Back when I was a freshman and sophomore, students did not have to worry about when they had to be back in class. They could leave for an unprecedented amount of time, which is not good. However, students were used to this system which is why the transition to this technology has been difficult for some upperclassmen. 

Secondly, another flaw within SmartPass is that it can be difficult to remember to end your pass. If you have an ongoing pass, it prevents other students from using the restroom due to the technology only allowing a certain amount of people to go to that bathroom. This can be a nuisance, because if you really have to use the bathroom, you have to wait until other students leave. This is bad because sometimes students leave their passes on even when they are not in the bathroom. This is why it can be annoying, as there may be no students using the restroom, yet you still have to wait as the technology does not know that. 

Furthermore, sometimes students who have not used SmartPass much often will innocently forget to end their pass. If you do this enough times, there will be consequences. I believe that to be unfair, because it is a mistake students make unintentionally. However, as students have become more accustomed to SmartPass these problems have not been as prevalent. 

Although SmartPass does have these flaws, and may seem annoying to various students, I believe it is wholly necessary. SmartPass helps the school ensure the safety of its students and prevents students from leaving class for unprecedented amounts of time. It has been a difficult transition to SmartPass, but there have been many benefits so far. It helps ensure there are less students in the bathroom which prevents waiting at the bathroom for long periods of time while missing class and other benefits. Therefore, although SmartPass may have its flaws, it is still necessary for the school, and has caused positive changes throughout James Caldwell High School.