VHS Update

At Vandegrift, we have always prided ourselves on listening to students and considering their concerns and suggestions on campus issues. Recently, we implemented a new hall pass system that was intended to save students and teachers time, and support campus safety. Unfortunately, some misinformation has been perpetuated on social media that has caused confusion about the purpose and intent of this system.

To be clear, all students have always been asked to sign in/sign out when leaving class. And, teachers have always had discretion on how to do implement their classroom policies. This has not changed. The hall pass system just allows a student to scan the QR code to go in/out of class and eliminates a physical paper pass. Students can make requests, and teachers can approve or deny with minimal disruption to instructional time. In no instance will a student be denied access for restroom emergencies.

The student’s locations cannot be and is not tracked. However, the amount of time a student is absent from class is noted, just like it always has been. The hall system does allow administration to limit how many students can be out of each class at the same time.

The version of “Pass” that we use does not use device-based location data or any other location-tracking software or hardware. It also does not require that a student download an app to use, but instead is web-based in its functionality. Student privacy, in all forms, is something we take very seriously. At no time would someone be able to use the data to find a student in real-time. However, in emergencies such as fires or lockdowns, this system helps schools identify which students are physically out of class and may need special consideration during a real emergency such as an extended lock-down.

Although it was not ideal to roll out a new initiative at the semester, we believe that implementing Pass will create a safer and more organized environment for our students, allowing them to focus on learning in our rigorous academic setting.

The system has been up and running for less than 24 hours, and we still have some implementation issues to resolve. Student, staff and parent input will be considered, and the Pass system will be evaluated for effectiveness and usability over the next few months to determine if it is beneficial to the students, staff and campus.

Thank you for your understanding and support and patience as we work out some of the logistics of the initial implementation.

Sincerely,

Charlie Little

Principal