Keep Underclassmen In

Here at PVHS, our school has a carrying tradition of having an open campus policy for seniors. Although our school allows only seniors to leave at lunch, our student body has disregarded this rule for years and administration is finally cracking down.  

Freshman, sophomores, and juniors have been treating this obligation to stay on campus as a choice when it is a requirement.

In previous years, a large number of students have been utilizing every opportunity to escape campus.There are many examples that show how the school is negatively impacted by this issue.   

These examples are displayed in various ways such as combinations of students from all grade levels being caught sneaking away to their cars during nutrition, attendance at assemblies suffering, and our school’s lunchtime culture being nonexistent.

Our student body has cumulatively developed the mindset that the open campus policy is applicable to all students at all times.  

Seniors are allowed to leave at lunch, but not during other breaks throughout the day.  

Many underclassmen argue that they have a free third or sixth period, but the rulebook also states that any student who is not a senior must stay on campus throughout lunch regardless of their schedule.  

Underclassmen with a free third or sixth period are not permitted to leave until lunch is over and students are not allowed to leave at any other times other than lunch, regardless of the situation.  

The security staff has made many efforts recently to eliminate the number of students leaving campus during lunch and other breaks.  

Returning security guard John Merchant has noticed a decrease in the number of underclassmen who attempt to leave campus at lunch since the start of this year.

 Merchant explained, “We have increased our security that guards the perimeter of the campus. We also have worked to reduce the number of students going to their cars at break.”

New security guard, Erick Parada, has only been here for a short time and he has noticed a significant difference since his first weeks on the job.  

Parada said, “Since my first few days, I have noticed underclassmen trying to leave almost every single day. The number has decreased largely per day because students learn once they have been confronted.”

Parada also said he checks for ID’s everyday in order to distinguish between seniors and students from other grade levels.  

Parada and Merchant both discussed a decrease in the number of students going to their cars at breaks.  

Merchant said that students last year were not always confronted for leaving to their cars during breaks but this year it is an issue that is being dealt with directly. Students who attempt to leave campus at lunch have noticed the change themselves.

 “Last year I was able to go pretty much anywhere at lunch,” said sophomore Dennis Kim.

“This year, the security guards stop me and ask for ID so I normally have to go back to campus.”  

A couple students reported they saw school security walking around the cafe as well as the Deli.

Although it is a change from last year, this increase in security will hopefully have a positive impact for and on the school’s culture and lunchtime atmosphere.