On September 27, 2022, Strath Haven High School officially implemented eHallpass pass to replace the traditional paper pass and QR code system. To sign out, students must go to e-hallpass.com, log in with their Google account, select where they are coming from and their destination, and then submit for approval. Teachers can either manually accept a student’s request, or set their e-hall pass to approve trips automatically.
According to Assistant Principal Tabatha Duffy, many teachers opt to use these automatic passes.
“They don’t have to disrupt instruction,” she said
For now, auto passes are only available for bathroom trips.
“If you’re going to the nurse, or the office or somewhere else, I kind of want the teacher to like know why you’re going there, just so that they can make sure everything’s okay for you,” Duffy said.
When it comes to students’ perspectives, accessibility is the primary issue.
“I think [e-hall pass] a little bit of a disadvantage and it’s a bit annoying just because of how complicated it is,” sophomore Philip Collins said. “You have a limited amount of times you can like use a pass in a day.”
Junior Anna Kamau agrees. “I feel like it’s really unnecessary because we have to open our Chromebooks and put it in, and then it’ll just take more time,” she said.
When asked about any positive attributes to the change, Kamau finds none. “If someone’s out, you have to wait for them to come back. It takes longer.”
There are some benefits, however. “It might help in the long run just instead of writing out passes and stuff and wasting paper, so it’s like a positive and a negative,” Collins said.
According to EduSpire solutions, eHallpass is a hall pass system that limits student meetups, vaping, vandalism, and other disruptions.
In an email to parents on September 8, Principal Dr. Greg Hilden stated that eHallpass is not a new policy, but a procedural change to a more effective electronic system.
Hilden anticipates that the new system will make many improvements. Some key benefits include the reduction of paper, increased efficiency of communication, and reductions in classroom disruptions.
