South’s Mission Statement claims that its goal is to empower “individuals to grow, develop their voice, and contribute meaningfully to society”, according to Board Policy 1:30. But, how are students supposed to develop into adults if we aren’t even allowed to go to the bathroom when a pass isn’t available? 

Administrators and teachers should lighten restrictions in digital surveillance and bathroom passes to teach students how to develop responsibility for their future. 

South’s digital classroom management program, in testing from Jan. 19 through May 8, tracks and controls student activity from 7 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. if a student is connected to school WiFi and signed into their Google account, according to District 225 in the “Student Chromebook Management Software Pilot Frequently Asked Questions for Parents and Students”. The program adds structural support to keep us on task, paying attention and completing work is ultimately our responsibility. 

But, monitoring what students are doing on their laptops, which intends to provide academic support, will likely do the opposite. Device monitoring can actually diminish academic outcomes for students, regardless of behavior, according to a study by the American Educational Research Association in 2021. Additionally, accountability is lost because we are not learning how to manage our devices with natural consequences.

South has other policies that operate in a similar way. Bathroom passes, for example. The passes are meant to create structure and provide a level of safety for students. However, the system often becomes distracting to the classroom, unhealthy for students, and denies students the right to determine how they manage their time and when they need a break. 

Of course, there are students who repeatedly break rules or create security concerns. But, rather than punishing the entire school for their behavior, these individual students should have individual plans that outline steps to get back on track in phases.

Collective punishment, penalizing a group for the actions of a few, diminishes cooperation between students and teachers, according to a study by the National Library of Medicine in 2024. Additionally, collective punishment can increase misbehavior, make students feel excluded, and frustrate those who did nothing wrong, leaving some disengaged, according to The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news source. 

Rather than enacting ways to exert control over all students, a more effective method for managing students is positive reinforcement—promoting good behavior by rewarding individual good actions. 

Positive reinforcement can improve students’ attention, academic performance, cooperation, and overall class climate, according to Harvard Graduate School of Education. For example, students who prove they can consistently follow bathroom pass policy could get more flexibile pass privileges, such as not needing to wait for pass availability.

Allowing students who demonstrate responsibility to earn more autonomy will encourage all students to meet the expectations the district sets for them, insted of punishing students who do not. 

One of the main goals of a high school is to prepare students for their future academically, but also for life. Although lifting some supervisional support may seem hectic, South can create an environment that helps students develop accountability and take ownership of their future.