North Middlesex Regional High School Reinforces Expectations After First Week

By The ClearScope Network | @ClearScopeNet

September 2, 2025

Principal Laurie Smith of North Middlesex Regional High School (NMRHS) issued a building-wide email on September 2nd, 2025 at roughly 2:35pm following the first week of school to outline and reinforce key policies that affect daily student life, including lunch procedures, earbud usage, dismissal times, and student parking. The goal is to promote clarity and maintain a respectful, structured environment as the school year progresses.

Lunchtime Guidelines: Movement Restricted to Cafeteria Only

Students are required to remain in the cafeteria during their assigned lunch period. According to the school administration:

• No student is permitted to leave the cafeteria during lunch.

• PAC bathrooms are the only restrooms permitted for use during this period.

• Students have 2 minutes between lunch and their next class to stop at their lockers if needed. 

The school reminds students that lunch is intended for eating, socializing in the cafeteria, or using the PAC bathrooms—not for roaming the halls.

Earbuds/Headphones: Limited Use and Risk of Full Ban

Current rules only allow earbuds/headphones during lunch. Students are not permitted to wear them in hallways or classrooms. However, administrators report some students are continuing to wear them after lunch, despite repeated reminders.

“If students continue to ‘forget’ to remove them after lunch,” the email states, “we may need to enforce a no earbuds/headphones at all policy—which we hope to avoid.”

This echoes past policy changes such as the removal of FLEX Block—a 30-minute class period students once enjoyed, removed due to chronic misuse. According to the administration, many students used that time to wander the school or hide in bathrooms rather than attend class or engage productively.

The takeaway: students risk losing privileges for everyone if rules are not followed.

Dismissal Time Update: 1:54 PM Returns Next Week

Students were temporarily released at 1:49 PM during the first two weeks of school to allow more time to adjust to locker routines. Beginning next week, NMRHS will return to the standard 1:54 PM dismissal.

• Buses will continue to leave promptly at 2:00 PM.

• Students are expected to have their locker and transition routines established by now.

Cafeteria Etiquette: Push in Chairs, Follow Seating Limits

The school also reminded students of basic cafeteria expectations:

• Chairs must be pushed in when students leave.

• No more than 8 chairs per table to maintain a safe and orderly space.

Parking on Campus: Permit Required, Off-Campus Lots Not Allowed

Student parking at NMRHS requires a valid parking permit, which is available through the main office. Parking without a permit is not allowed.

Additionally, local businesses have filed complaints:

• Harbor Mall and McDonald’s have reported student parking issues to both the school and local police.

• Students parking there are subject to towing.

With on-campus parking permits costing $250 (until Dec 1, 2025 – where fees will decrease from $250 to $125 and then decrease to $75 after Feb 23, 2026 - June 10, 2026), it’s likely that some students are opting to park across the street in an adjacent lot with more open space—but this is not officially sanctioned by the school.

Closing Note from Administration

Principal Smith closed the message by commending students for keeping the school clean and encouraged everyone to continue taking pride in their environment.

Final Thought

While NMRHS is off to a strong start, the message is clear: students must respect school policies to retain privileges. Past examples—like the loss of FLEX Block—demonstrate that individual behavior can have school-wide consequences. Following simple expectations like removing earbuds, pushing in chairs, and respecting parking rules helps ensure a better experience for all.

Let’s keep it that way.