The “new and improved” digital system of hall passes for students, SmartPass, was originally meant to be something that took the burden of manually issuing passes off of teachers’ shoulders. In some classes, teachers would quickly assign an electronic pass to students, whilst in others, students would have to simply sign themselves out with the classroom iPad intended for the use of SmartPass.

Contrary to its intended goal, SmartPass has now turned into a headache for many, and even a liability. With many SmartPass iPad chargers stolen, alongside other issues, several teachers have to resort to the traditional process of handwritten passes. The responses of teachers, deans, and students alike voice their concerns about the SmartPass initiative. In the words of English teacher Ms. Spina, “The SmartPass system works in theory; in practice is where it falls apart. iPads designated for SmartPass use are often left uncharged, forcing teachers to stop class in order to create a pass. I also don’t know if there are any consequences for students who consistently go over their allotted time on the pass. I report students for going over their time limit, but do they get detention? Is their pass use limited? What happens after that?” Despite the system’s flaws, Ms. Spina still believes that it’s the better alternative to manual passes, adding, “I still think the SmartPass system is better than handwritten passes because every teacher with access to SmartPass can see who is out on a pass, so at least there’s some tracking and accountability happening.” Around the school, there are many with the same mixed feelings towards the new system.

Assistant Principal of Safety and Security, Mr. Burbano, explained that he’s working to combat the issues that have arisen with SmartPass. “A part of making SmartPass easier to use is figuring out how to make the chargers more secure. I don’t know when the chargers are being stolen, but the goal is to make the protection of chargers similar to the way they do it in the Apple store.”

He spoke on the effectiveness of SmartPass as a whole, “It’s improved safety by knowing where kids are. When I meet with parents, we can know how much class time their child lost.” Mr. Burbano also addressed the matter of teachers resorting to handwritten passes: “No one should be writing passes, everyone should be using SmartPass. The only exception is subs since they don’t have access to SmartPass.”