At the commencement of the school year, Cupertino High School administrators implemented new policies regarding on-campus regulations. On-campus security would tighten, hall passes would be implemented in every classroom, and it would be mandatory for students without an off-campus pass to reside at designated locations in CHS.
Students have expressed disappointment and frustration about these new restrictions.
“[The new regulations have] affected my campus life in a negative way,” junior Arshi Kaur said. “I think it makes it much harder for students to leave class and take a moment for themselves to relax and do what they need to do so that they can properly function in class.”
Teachers have also expressed concern with the new adjustments.
Said American Literature Honors teacher Jenny Padgett, “[In previous years,] the campus had such a good feeling of autonomy and of trusting students to make good choices. So for me, it made me feel like [the new regulations were] a deevolution of what a good campus could feel like.”
The hall pass system has also been criticized for being unsanitary, especially due to the new COVID-19 variant becoming prevalent in the local area.
“It’s why I never had a hall pass in my entire career,” Padgett said. The idea that a student is carrying something into the bathroom back and forth and wherever is always something I felt icky about.”
Freshman Ellie Huh also voiced her concerns with the hygiene of the hall passes.
“I think it’s very unsanitary because it’s brought into both girls’ and boys’ bathrooms, and they’re not able to wash their hands in the stalls,” Huh said. “It can also help spread germs and sickness.”
Aside from the controversy surrounding hall passes, the new rules about off-campus policies have similarly sparked disappointment.
Sophomore Anjali Chandrasekar has a free third period, which she would have previously used to study off campus.
Said Chandrasekar, “Being in the library and not being at home is more distracting because there are a lot more people around you. I tend to work a lot better alone at home.”
Off-campus passes are given to students with free periods who apply for them through a K-12 form, but students have experienced predicaments with the system.
Some have applied for the off-campus pass in the first weeks of school but still haven’t received them.
Despite student and teacher concerns, admin members stood by the restrictions, justifying it with their good intentions. CHS’s principal, Kami Tomberlain, supports the new changes.
“What we wanted to do was create a process by which we could tell who was here [on campus]r to keep the halls quiet so that we can all learn in our classes,” Tomberlain said. “It’s also sort of a safety issue for folks as our campus is pretty wide open.”
“What I’m hopeful for is for a campus that feels safe, inclusive, and to feel like people belong here […] and to treat each other with kindness and respect,” Tomberlain continued. “I think that having some limits on our actions are helpful in creating that space.”
