In its latest edition of the 6425 newsletter, an excerpt was released stating that students must exit the building by 3:30 p.m. if they have not reported to a supervised activity. The Echo Editorial Board believes that if this rule is to be enforced, administration must give further details and make clearer guidelines.

Administration must specify what constitutes an after-school activity. Many students work with teachers after school, and if they don’t report to their activity before 3:30 p.m., will they be asked to leave? Other than asking students to exit the building after this time, what repercussions will there be on students who decide not to leave the building when asked?  How will staff members approach students who are in the building past 3:30 p.m? The message in the 6425 newsletter doesn’t go into detail on these situations.

Unless students are misbehaving or causing trouble, what harm is there to permit students to stay in the building past 3:30 p.m? 

Many students have extenuating circumstances where they won’t be able to receive a ride from a parent/guardian before the time, and will need a space to stay. Especially in the winter months, students waiting outside in the frigid temperatures is too extreme. Parents would be rushed to pick up their students, and the strict enforcement of this rule would create more issues.

To alleviate these burdens, administration should push the set time back so that neither students or parents will have to worry about the rule time. 3:30 p.m. is only 15 minutes after the school day ends, so it is unreasonable to not allow students in the building past then.

Another solution to the issue is to designate a specific area in the school where students can wait to get a ride, like the cafeteria or the foyer. This would solve the issue previously stated, and will ensure students aren’t spread around the school without supervision past school hours.

Nonetheless, by releasing the excerpt in the newsletter, it sparked a lot of questions and concerns. Due to the excerpt’s lack of information regarding the intricacies of this rule, many students are confused in terms of what is deemed as a supervised activity. The Echo Editorial Board believes administration should address these issues and give information to help and better inform the student body.

For students, if you plan to stay after school, make sure to use your time wisely. Be respectful and courteous to ensure you won’t jeopardize other students’ opportunities to attend after-school activities.