We’ve now got a ruthless automated attendance system, timed bathroom breaks, and an interrogative lunch-pass system; I mean, at what point does South cross the line of being a prison?
Whether it be over social media and just as jokes with each other, reluctant students love to draw comparisons between the school system and jail. The similarities are often undeniable: orderly and often strict classroom environments, a set and punctual schedule, people packed in one room during a set meal time, and most obviously, the inability to leave.
It seems as if this year Hinsdale South has taken this a step further. The new scanning system for attendance essentially allows for zero lenience or tolerance. Sure, students shouldn’t be running late whenever they want, but there are just so many situations — whether it be staying late with a teacher or simply a personal situation — that are made so much harder through the unsympathetic scanners.
Speaking of time, we’ve got timed bathroom breaks now, and even though it might not be a frequent issue, just the fact of having a countdown staring at you while you’re doing your business definitely seems a bit much. This is not to mention the possibility of a small emergency, and although there’s no doubt the problem can be resolved, you shouldn’t have to go through technical trouble for needing a few more minutes in the bathroom.
To top it all off, lunch periods are stricter than ever. Lunch is supposed to be the one time that students get a break from all the hard academic work they have piled on them the other six hours of the day. However, this year they are met with the watchful eyes of security guards and deans, making sure no one “escapes”, so to speak, without a prewritten pass, even for a trip to a teacher.
The parallels here are clear as day, and although the intentions behind the changes are definitely for the safety and well-being of South students, the similarities just can’t be ignored. The question should be asked: how badly do we need structural reform until our beloved Hinsdale South becomes indistinguishable from a prison?
