The introduction of the digital Smart Pass system has provoked controversy. While administrators argue that “Schools have a fundamental responsibility to ensure the safety of all students throughout the school day. ”(Moskwitz, 2024) Many believe the new system is redundant and confusing.

To understand its impact, we need to hear both sides: the administrators, who hope to solve ongoing issues, and the students, who are directly affected by the change.

For administrators, Smart Pass addresses a problem that grew last year: hall wanderers. These were students who were frequently out of class, missing instructions, and sometimes misusing bathroom time. Mr. Paul Navarra, high school principal, explained, “The hall pass system provides us with data about how often students are going out, for how long, how much instructional time is being lost, and it helps us have great conversations with students about their use of the bathroom. ” (P. Navarra, personal communication, September 17, 2025) To administrators, this data is crucial for accountability and to preserve the integrity of the school environment. 

Students, however, tell a different story. Many feel that while Smart Pass helps with discipline, it does so at the cost of freedom and trust. Eleventh Grader Ariana Agudelo reflected, “It improves discipline of proper bathroom usage, but having that constant monitoring you usually have with younger kids- it’s restricting and makes us feel controlled.” (A. Agudelo, personal communication, September 16, 2025) For her and others, the system undermines independence and directly affects student autonomy. 

Furthermore, the gap between perspectives widens when it comes to efficiency. Students argue that the Smart Pass process itself wastes time and distracts from learning. As Agudelo put it, “Just because students aren’t allowed to go to the bathroom when they want and as quickly as possible. This creates a barrier between teachers and students.”(A.Agudelo, personal communication, September 16, 2025) On the other hand, administrators disagree, insisting that the data tells a different story.

“Students are losing less instructional time, and that’s the most important thing. The more often the students can be in the classroom learning, the better,” emphasized Mr. Navarra. (P. Navarra, personal communication, September 17, 2025) 

Ultimately, like with any change, Smart Pass has sparked discomfort and debate. However, both sides want the same outcome: Maximising learning, while respecting students’ independence. As Mr. Navarra put it best, “The more digital we’re becoming, the more we can implement that in high school. ” (P. Navarra, personal communication, September 17, 2025)