At one Dallas ISD middle school, handwritten hall passes are a thing of the past.
DALLAS – An electronic hall pass is leading to a significant decrease in classroom disruptions, bullying, and fights at a Dallas ISD middle school.
"I've seen no passes, paper passes, we had clipboard passes," said teacher Tierra Perry. "Now we have the e-hall pass. It is so amazing."
Four years ago, Robert T. Hill Middle School began using electronic hall passes in an effort to curb disruptive behavior and enhance security on campus.
"One of the things we were seeing was kids kind of slap boxing in the bathrooms and hanging out and kind of getting into some mischief and some trouble," said Assistant Principal David McDaniel.
McDaniel first came across the e-hall pass while at a different school, but when he moved to Robert T. Hill four years ago, he thought it was the perfect fit. He then pitched the idea to Principal Candice Ruiz. The e-hall pass system was piloted for a year, before the school fully implemented it the following school year.
How does the e-hall pass work?
Every bathroom is given a color, and each classroom is designated to one of those zones. All a student needs to do is request a pass on their Chromebook to their classroom's assigned bathroom. Teachers like Perry will then be able to approve or deny the request with little to no interruption for other students.
"I do feel a level of security," noted Perry. "Especially because I know that the students know that we are tracking where they are."
According to the district, the e-hall pass system has led to a 66% decrease in classroom disruptions, a 57% decrease in fights, and a 75% decrease in bullying. A benefit to the system that the school appreciates, is it allows teachers and staff to restrict students who may be having issues with each other, to request a pass at the same time.
McDaniel said at least eight other schools have also begun implementing the e-hall pass system. In addition to the e-hall pass, the middle school also credits the Yondr pouch, which locks students' phones in a pouch until the end of the day, as an essential safety system to create a positive environment on campus.
"The students really understand that right now it's all about them and their education," said Perry.