June 2, 2009
New lunchtime hallway policies implemented
Principal Darryl Williams and security personnel implemented restrictions on where Blazers are able to eat during 5A and 5B lunch as of last week. Due to these policies, students are only allowed to eat in the outside courtyards, SAC or Blair Boulevard region in front of the Media Center. Blazers also cannot walk in the classroom hallways on any of the three floors without passes signed by teachers. These policies will continue until the end of the school year and will potentially extend to next year, according to security assistant Paul Barker.
Unruly and obstructive student behavior incited the new lunchtime changes. "There was too much trash in the hallways, and there was too much noise near the main office," Barker said. "Rules are made when people violate their freedoms."
Williams implemented the policies after security brought these problems to his attention. "Security came to me and made a request, and there were concerns from staff as well," Williams said. "Mr. Boatman constructed a proposal to address the lunchtime issues."
In order to prevent students from walking around the school during lunch, security guards have been stationed in several hallways on each floor. A yellow gate has also been placed in front of the Media Center to prevent student traffic. In addition to restrictions on where students eat lunch, plans exist to remove the benches situated along Blair Boulevard, according to security assistant Tanesha Taylor.
Student reactions to the changes have been largely negative and frustrated Blazers have begun to take action. In response to the hallway regulations, junior Michelyn Bouknight began a petition against the restrictions on Monday. "I feel as though they are treating us as prisoners," she said. Bouknight is especially angry about the administration's plans to remove the benches. "They are complaining about trash, but I don't think these policies indicate the best solution." After obtaining more signatures, Bouknight plans to take the petition directly to Williams.
Security personnel speculate that the restrictions will continue to be implemented next year. However, decisions are still in the making, and Blazers may get their lunchtime privileges back in the future, according to Taylor.
The yellow gate has given trouble to Blazers who want to walk along Blair Boulevard.
Williams implemented the policies after security brought these problems to his attention. "Security came to me and made a request, and there were concerns from staff as well," Williams said. "Mr. Boatman constructed a proposal to address the lunchtime issues."
In order to prevent students from walking around the school during lunch, security guards have been stationed in several hallways on each floor. A yellow gate has also been placed in front of the Media Center to prevent student traffic. In addition to restrictions on where students eat lunch, plans exist to remove the benches situated along Blair Boulevard, according to security assistant Tanesha Taylor.
Student reactions to the changes have been largely negative and frustrated Blazers have begun to take action. In response to the hallway regulations, junior Michelyn Bouknight began a petition against the restrictions on Monday. "I feel as though they are treating us as prisoners," she said. Bouknight is especially angry about the administration's plans to remove the benches. "They are complaining about trash, but I don't think these policies indicate the best solution." After obtaining more signatures, Bouknight plans to take the petition directly to Williams.
Security personnel speculate that the restrictions will continue to be implemented next year. However, decisions are still in the making, and Blazers may get their lunchtime privileges back in the future, according to Taylor.
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As far as I'm concerned, I'll just not go down to the SAC. Many computer labs are open and a lot of teachers are open. But I still feel like this policy punishes the orderly students just trying to see their teachers at lunch. As for the rest? There's plenty of space to mess around in the rest of the school and off school grounds. For that matter, it's just extra incentive to hop off the school campus at lunch.
If administration wants to make a real difference, it's going to come from being a little less cynical and believing that at least some students are willing to quiet down and pick up their trash if asked nicely. Please. It doesn't take that much effort to just make an announcement over the PA to ask us to please pick up our trash, before suddenly keeping us fenced in.
It's insane and utterly unecessary.
A whole new class of students will be arriving next year. And as mentioned, when winter comes it will be impossible to confine everyone in the SAC.
The idea to remove the benches is completely ludicrous.
And what about things like the vending machines that are past the media center? That gives money to the school.
It is ridiculous how the administrators and security guards feel the need to exert so much authority over us. Honestly, this is a public school. Why are there large yellow barricades trying to hinder us? We're just teenagers at high school. This isn't some sort of juvenile delinquent insitution.
And teachers are always encouraging us to come in for lunch for extra help and other opportunities that are not available during class time.
This whole thing is completely unnecessary.
But it's definitely not going to work out next year, so we'll just have to endure it for these last two weeks.
Only several studets or student-groups are the source of the trash and only they should be targeted/restricted by security. It is completely unfair for the rest of the students to suffer loss of privlages for something they never came close to doing.
By the way, I admit that I have not eaten in the SAC for many months, because it's noisy and is in an inconvenient location. I have actually eaten outside of the computer lab 316 for quite a while and never got "caught" for eating in the "wrong area". (It's just much quieter there and much more conveniently located.) Also, after I go down to the library or office for something at the beginning of lunch, I just head on to the third floor. No one stops me or anything. Once a guard just asked me where I was going and I said "to room 314" and he let me go. If you're alone and look like you're not fooling around, then people generally won't bother you.
This WON'T work next year. Blair's administration needs to take more time to think through their decisions and start treating the students with much more respect rather than yelling at us all the time because they happen to be having a bad day.
i was never aware that students were messing around on the upper floors and leaving a lot of trash lying around. I have also never heard an administrator go on the intercom and warn us that stuff is going on that needs to stop -- or else strict lunch policies will be enforced. All i know is all of a sudden, I can't go upstairs to finish a computer program during lunch.
so what's going on? why didn't we even get a warning before these useless policies were foisted upon us? if there really needs to be some change, it's better communication between the administration and the student population.
What are they gonna do next year when all of the classes are here?? I love michelyn and i signed that petition because this is some bull. This is so stupid. They cant expect to make rules and enforce them at the end of the year and williams cant expect that all blazers can fit into the SAC next year. If they are complainig about trash then why dont the janitors actually go around during lunch and get the people who throw the trash instead of chillln in the cafeteria talking like they always do and then complaining about it. This is a ridiculous policy that obviously wasnt thought out, and if they try to enforce it next year there will be problems.
I had found a quote once but i cant remember it, but it was about how they create laws because they have to show other people they have power. Because the more laws you make, the more people you can get in trouble because someone will break them. And the more people you get in trouble the better you can show your power. The administration is trying to show us they have power, This is unnecessary and ridiculous. All they are showing us is that they are stupid and dont think things out.
This policy seems to have been a quick reaction to some complaints by janitorial staff that really was not thought through AT ALL! The administration has so many other things it could be thinking about now - including trying to prevent teachers from leaving Blair, keeping funds and working to improve the school that this new policy is ridiculous and a waste of time. I've talked to teachers who agree - how are timid students doing poor academically going to be encouraged to see teachers at lunch if there is a bright yellow gate with teachers yelling at them stopping them in their paths? Those who start to make their way to teachers' rooms thinking "should I ask the teacher about that test that I did poorly on?" see the gate and in an instant decide against it simply because of the inconvenience.
Of course, there will always be "delinquents" who try to get around rules and cause disruption. But this will occur no matter what! Have security stop people they encounter in the act instead of stand idly, and you will deter the vast majority of these. Assume students are there to learn - not to cause disruption. That SHOULD differentiate us from unnamed schools in DC that have been so famously advertised in the Washington Post.
1. I am a student aid. This basically gives me a sticker on my ID that gives me a reason for going almost anywhere, as long as I'm "helping a teacher."
2. I have a valid pass written by a teacher on the third floor in my agenda. The teacher only wrote one, but I've used it three or four times to get upstairs.
3. Stay on the upper floors at the beginning of lunch. As long as you don't need to go into the SAC, nobody will stop you.
While it's a ridiculous system on principle, it's so easy to circumvent that you shouldn't have trouble getting where you need. You just need to be a bit prepared.