School Rules

By Quinn Blair-Heim

Over the past few months, a lot of school rules have been put in place, some for better, others for worse. A lot of students at Kenmore West have something to say about these rules, so I sent out a form asking about which rules in particular were bothering them.

Unsurprisingly, there are a few specific rules that the students don’t like. The one that was most mentioned, whether they wanted it removed entirely or changed, was the 5-5-5 rule. For anyone who doesn’t know what that is, the 5-5-5 rule is that no students can go to the bathroom in the first and last five minutes of class, and that no more than five students can be in the bathroom at a time. This rule is pretty recent, and the student body is not a fan. 

There were many fair points made, but there were a few recurring ones. One being that people said that the rule disrupted class, as the first and last five minutes of class were usually used for packing up or getting ready. They pointed out that teachers had to pause their lesson to make a student a pass almost every single day, even though there was plenty of time for a student to be there and back by the time they started teaching. They also brought up the fact that they miss learning because they have to leave during the lesson, and most teachers don’t have time to help them catch up, especially in IB or AP classes. What we are told by many teachers when we miss class is to ask another student for help, but many students don’t share classes with people they know, and most are not confident enough to ask. Another problem that was brought up specifically, and while it is more specific to certain people, it’s still important. Some students have specific needs, as outlined in 504 plans, that go against the rule, and some teachers do not make any exceptions, even for these kids. 

“While rules were made to be enforced and help make school more efficient, those who make the rules should check in with the people that the rules are being applied to.” - Ava Piatt, Junior.

The next rule, which also had many mentions in the form sent out, was the sweeping. If you aren’t familiar, 1 minute after class ends, staff members begin to “sweep” the hallways and any student found outside of class is brought to the lunchroom, where they are lectured for skipping. The problem with this rule, as many have said, is that people who skip aren’t the ones being swept. Many students who are getting caught in the sweep are simply late kids who couldn’t make it on time. Multiple students even brought up the fact that they are swept regularly because the time it takes them to get from one class to another is too far for the passing period and that sometimes results in being a minute late. Others brought up the fact that students who are skipping are “better at it,” and won’t be found wandering the halls. There is another problem with the sweep, as well. The entire point of the sweep is to catch students who are skipping and to prevent late students from disrupting class. However, neither of these things is truly being achieved. Because many students are just late and not skipping, when they eventually get sent back to class, it causes a bigger disruption than it would have if they were just a minute late. 

“I'm a good kid, I'm usually not a rule-breaker, but when rules that are aimed at more undisciplined students inconvenience me and other well-behaved students? It just encourages them to be broken, quite honestly. That's when I think they should be adjusted.” - Adrian Hanner, Senior.

One last rule that has been brought up by students is less of a rule and more of a code. The dress code. When asked, students said that they think the dress code itself is very lenient and nice, yet many complained that the way it is enforced is unacceptable. 

“I think that although our school is lenient about the dress code, the very being of it is targeted towards teenage girls. The dress code says, "Modest tanks are appropriate as long as the chest and back areas are covered from the top of the armpit down. Midriffs are to be covered. Exposure of skin between the bottom of the shirt and the top of the pants is prohibited."  Teachers are also not on the same page on how to address it. Once I saw a teacher stop class to make girls cover up and that same day I saw no other teachers mention it.” - Gabriella Pilat, Junior.

Overall, many of the rules at Kenmore West are useful, and they make sense. Some students, unlike their peers, agree that the rules have a purpose and are being enforced correctly. This is not the opinion of everyone, however, and many agree that, yes, the rules are necessary, but they need to be adjusted and changed. 

“The rules are good and fair. The 5-5-5 rule is annoying, but it is good and helpful for teachers. It might be good for them to take attendance at the start of class and to make sure people are not skipping. Even though the students don't like this rule, it has a good purpose.” - Isabella DeValentino, 8th grader.

“I feel the school tries to implement rules, however, they most likely don’t work.” - Taylor Paluch, Freshman.

“Most of the rules at this school make sense, but some should be changed.” - Joseph Riggie, 8th grader.