Whitman administrators conducted the school’s first official hall sweep during fifth period Wednesday. At the start of the period, Principal Gregory Miller announced over the intercom system that students still in the hallways were to report to the auditorium immediately. Security guards led each student in the hallway to the auditorium and Miller directed teachers to lock their doors, only allowing students with late passes to enter.
Miller announced Monday that the administration would begin more directly enforcing several school rules this week. He emphasized the importance of attendance, restating that students should not be wandering the hallways during class time. He also reinforced expectations surrounding parking permits and IDs.
Junior Kaylah Tchoufa left her fourth-period class to use the bathroom in the five-minute transition time to fifth period. After hearing the bell ring for fifth and leaving the bathroom to go to class, she heard the announcement to go to the auditorium but didn’t know why, she said.
“My mind was going everywhere; I didn’t know what to think, like, ‘Are we in danger? Did a fight break out?’” Tchoufa said. “When I found out and tried to explain that I was in the bathroom, they didn’t care.”
When Tchoufa got downstairs, security and staff told them that they now had lowered their chances of getting a parking pass and that if marked absent, they would not be able to participate in their after-school activities, she said. All students lined up to get a hall pass to go back to class and be marked as tardy. They were warned that if they got more than one of these warnings, they could suffer lunch detention or other consequences. Some students also reported that Whitman administrators called home to tell their parents that they were caught in a hall sweep.
On Monday, Miller mentioned the other rules that Whitman administrators would continue to reinforce including specific policies on parking and student IDs. On parking, he emphasized that students may not park in visitor parking and that those without permits are prohibited from parking in the main lot. Students without permits have limited parking spots in the baseball field and police will be ticketing those parked on the hill, he said. He also stressed that students must wear their IDs at all times of the day and will face disciplinary action if caught without their ID on.
Wednesday’s sweep was the first action that Whitman administrators took to enforce the attendance rule. Some students, including Tchoufa, argue that five minutes of transition time may not be enough between two classes, considering distance and student traffic.
Tchoufa is a player on Whitman’s varsity girls’ basketball and almost lost her chance to play due to the sweep. She said the sweep occurred too soon after the bell rang, barely giving students a chance to make it, and that she only got lucky that her coach allowed her to play.
“I think that, especially if needing to go to the bathroom, being a few seconds late shouldn’t cost you your extracurricular activities or your possibility of getting a parking pass,” she said. “I would understand if you are roaming or skipping class, but if not, then the sweep is just really unfair.”
