SmartPass, the online system for tracking students’ movements through the school, has been in place since last school year. However, for many students, the website has been deemed an inconvenience.

“One time I was making a pass, and there was a 10-person line,” said sophomore Teddy Davis. This is a growing concern within the school, and it has led some people to wonder why we switched to SmartPass in the first place.

According to Assistant Principal Mr. Eric Anderson, the reason we have long lines is that people do not use their bathroom passes properly.

“If you don’t end your pass, you could end up with a line that doesn’t exist,” he said. “If lines end up being excessively long, people can use a single stall or nurse’s bathroom if an emergency.”

Freshman Robert Wood is one student who would rather use paper passes than SmartPass. “I deal with really long wait times probably twice a week,” he said. “There’s always people waiting in line, and most of the time, people are just walking around.”

In response to the use of paper passes rather than SmartPass, Assistant Principal Ms. Jaclyn Tirocchi said, “Since using SmartPass, abusing using the bathroom without a pass has decreased dramatically. SmartPass allows staff to see when students are missing times the most.”

NKHS has its own SmartPass committee, which is currently trying to find solutions on how to make the site easier to use. They have determined that bathrooms are most crowded in the mornings and during passing time since you don’t need passes for that. 

In response to this, senior Bruno Rodrigues stated his opinion on the condition of the bathroom. 

“It’s absolutely horrible,” he said. “It’s like someone goes in there in the morning and makes shrines out of lunch food.”

Despite people’s concerns, SmartPass is here to stay. 

“If anything is happening in bathrooms that shouldn’t be, you should report to the deans immediately,” Tirocchi said. “We don’t tolerate bad behavior that is affecting students being comfortable.”