The daily routine is back in full swing at DGS as students and teachers are getting used to new policy changes: the green passes, the new phone policy and the new signs about attendance in every classroom. These new rules were all expected in some capacity, but many students didn’t expect the new attendance policy that came with having a study hall.
While this new policy doesn’t affect those who don’t have a study hall or early release, students that do have one are required to scan their ID for attendance purposes and make sure everyone is in their assigned locations. While the idea of scanning their ID doesn’t sound too bad to students, the actual execution is what leaves some students frustrated.
A typical resource period begins with the setup of two stations with two scanners each, followed by a queue that stretches down the hall. While the wait time averages at around four minutes, many students feel like it’s longer. Upon being asked how long it takes to get from the back of the line to scan in, freshman Tori Connelly responded with, “At least 10 minutes.”
While this setup might not be ideal for students, security guard Joshua Margalus assures everyone that this system is only temporary.
“I can see why it’s frustrating for the students, especially coming off the last two years, but this is only the third year of the building being the way it is, so we’re trying to get people used to it and set things to how they’re supposed to be,” Margalus said.
Another aspect of the scanning policy that isn’t clicking with students is the amount of scanners, seeing as there are only two. Senior Cayden Horstmann has an early release and shares his thoughts on the new policy.
“If there were more [scanning] stations it would be less tedious to leave, especially while waiting in the lines that can get long,” Horstmann said.
According to staff, there are plans to create a better system for students to scan into their study hall.
“There is a more robust system in development, it’s going to feel a lot less clunky than what we have now. Us as staff are going to have a lot more tools than just a laptop and a scanner. Our goal is to make it less frustrating for students,” Margalus said.
While many students don’t want to deal with this, in the end it’s only a temporary measure until a more streamlined system can be implemented.
