Since the beginning of this school year, Middletown High School South’s administration has made it clear that this year they will be cracking down on the hallway movements of students.
With the implementation of the turnstile system last year, the foundations were set to make sure students would stay in class for as long as possible, and suffer consequences for extended time outside the classroom. Building off of last year’s foundation, the school is mandating that teachers will work in tandem with security personnel to ensure that students sign in and out, and don’t try to subvert school policy during both educational and non educational periods. Not only this, but the school has taken swift action to ensure that bathrooms are closed when not enough staff is available or if it’s during the first and last 10 minutes of a period.

But what does this mean for the students and faculty? What effect will this really have on the student body, and will teachers be willing to enforce these policies? I will admit, I was skeptical of the school’s new crack down: “Just another crusade that will lead nowhere,” I was saying to myself. But the more I researched, and the more questions I asked, I began to see the good of these new rules. Don’t just take my word for it though. I also interviewed our teachers and staff to hear their side of the story, and what they have observed.

I had my first interview with our school’s librarian, Ms. Nagy. When I interviewed Ms. Nagy, she stated she has a “birds eye view” from her desk. The windows around the library allow her to peer into the hallways, and she’s quick to notice any changes in them. When I asked her what she noticed, a “decrease in traffic” is what she surmised to me. Students have been seen roaming the hallways less frequently during almost all periods, “except block 6”, in her words. She also explained to me that “students feel safer [going] in the bathroom”. With constant watch of the bathrooms around the school, nothing is stopping students from simply doing what they need to do and going back to class, as she explains, “Whether it was vaping or something else”, those activities have decreased, removing the obstacles many students face when presented with the question: ‘Do I want to go now or at home?’

In a conversation with Mr. Rooney, I asked him how he felt about the policies’ effects on his classroom. I noted that his AP Human Geography class would be frequently chaotic, but he’s said that when it comes to leaving class, “It’s been better” during instruction.

I next visited his downstairs neighbor, Ms. D’Urso, to hear what she had to say. She hasn’t noticed any changes in regards to class attentiveness, as she’s always been enforcing the “10/10/10” rule, as the school calls it. What she has noticed is that having a teacher on duty at all times, and allowing janitors to clean the bathrooms in allotted time frames, has led to cleaner bathrooms. “I ask if there’s anyone left in there… I ask if they have any paper towels or toilet paper…I call custodial.” These actions have led to, in her eyes, a cleaner and healthier bathroom.

In Mr. Koumoulis’s words, “I think the rules are helping students to focus on their learning.” He says he’s noticed that as an effect of these changes, especially in his classes with seniors, “engagement” has increased. With the structure that the hallway movement policies enforce, students are less likely to wander the halls, and will be spending more time in class “doing what they’re supposed to be doing,” which is learning. “I think the idea that the rules are there and they’re…enforceable, I think that’s helping the students to focus.” When I asked about how the staff are working together on this, he said they’ve formed a “cohesive group” to enforce these policies, which is helping them to achieve their goals of keeping students engaged, and the hallways safe.

The picture these teachers have painted is clear: the school is clearly benefitting from these policies on a broad scale. Academic engagement is up, bathrooms are both cleaner and safer, and even the faculty is working together to achieve this. I have felt the effects too. Just before writing this article, the thought crossed my mind to actually use a school bathroom, which sadly, I will still refuse to do, but it’s the fact that I even thought of it that counts! While no concrete data has been created to back up the claims of these teachers, I still think their words hold weight, and I hope they’ll influence you just as much as they influenced me.