The student news website of Omaha Central High School

Why passing periods need to be longer

March 19, 2020

Passing periods at Central are only five minutes. Five minutes to walk from the gym to fourth floor; five minutes to go to the bathroom with a line out the door. Five minutes to manage speaking to a teacher and still manage to make it to a class on time.  

 When teachers refuse to let students pack up their books until the bell rings, they don’t realize that this is taking an additional 30 seconds-1 minute away from the already limited time students have to make it to class on time. Some teachers insist that students need to be seated, with their books and supplies out on their desk in order to be considered on time. 

Since Central has the courtyard in the middle of the building, and students are forced to walk in a square to get to the correct side that their class is on, it is nearly impossible to expect students to sprint through the halls if they end up on the wrong side. 

Since Central accommodates students with disabilities, it is irrational to assume that they can also make it to class on time. There is an elevator, however, it puts students on one side of the building. That still means that the students with disabilities have to walk 2-3 sides to get to their classroom. 

With the new implication of Tardy-Sweepstakes, there is additional pressure to be to class on time, with the threat of an after-school detention for being a second late. Some kids cannot stay after 3:05pm, because they need to take the school bus, city bus, or carpool home. After-school detention is not an option for the majority of Central students, considering all the different zip codes it includes, and every style of home life they have. 

With this added stress, students need at least a minute longer of passing period to accommodate certain issues students might have to deal with. Although this may nurture more fights in the hallways or courtyard, it will help to eliminate or lessen the problem of students being late to class or skipping class as a whole. 

The Register • Copyright 2024 • FLEX WordPress Theme by SNOLog in

Donate to The Register
$975
$1500
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All The Register Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *