Students at a school in Wisconsin have complained after a new hall pass system was introduced that can only be used seven times per week.
Attendees of Arrowhead Union High School have questioned the implementation of the new digital hall pass system simply because of the restrictions it places on them.
The system, called ePass, is also used at Pewaukee and Waukesha schools without restrictions, but Arrowhead kids are limited to seven passes per week.
New ePass system at Arrowhead Union High School has been criticized
The school, in a suburb of Milwaukee, has introduced the new system that effectively means students can only use the pass seven times per week during school hours to go to the bathroom.
This hasn’t gone down well with students, or those who have heard about the new system.
One person in Instagram raised a totally valid point about female students, writing: "What about girls with heavy periods?
“I was one of those.
“I needed to go to the bathroom 2 or 3 times in a day to change pads, etc., throughout those 7 hours I was at school."
A second person wrote: “Even prisoners can use the restroom when needed.”
"School nurse here,” offered a third.
“Come to the health office and I will give you an unlimited bathroom pass.
“FYI, NO one, especially a school board, can dictate how many times any student can use the bathroom. Period.”
So, how does it all break down over the course of the week?
According to the new system, students are allowed to leave class to use the bathroom three times per day, for a total of seven times each week.
What’s more, there is a limit to how many passes can be in use at once, meaning that there are a limited number of students that can be using the bathroom at any one time, therefore meaning that bathroom access is further restricted at times.
How do the students feel about this?
One Arrowhead student who recently spoke with the school board about the new system pretty much summed it up.
He said: “I feel like this system should not have been implemented.”
The student - a student athlete - said that the system also penalizes him for trying to remain hydrated throughout his day.
"Say I drank a lot of water that day, and I try to go to the bathroom two periods in a row, you can't go. It's messed up," he said.
Another student added: “You only get three a day and seven a week, and if you are having extenuating circumstances, it doesn't matter, you literally can't go to the bathroom.”
Despite some of the backlash, the school has defended the new measures.
Superintendent Conrad Farner said the ePass ‘ensures safety, maximises student learning, encourages responsibility and minimises inappropriate behavior’.
He added that the district also provides leniency to those who need it. Farner added: “We are trying to prevent unsafe, risky behavior...and it is working.”
The ePass - he argued - means that those who frequently leave class to ‘walk the halls’ or ‘meet up with friends’ are ‘no longer going to be able to do so’.
"The fact that it makes everyone safer, results in fewer classroom interruptions and provides useful data with minimal financial investment makes it an even more obvious choice," he concluded.