PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The School District of Philadelphia on Wednesday showed reporters the digital hall pass system more than three dozen Philly schools are using this year to manage hallway traffic.
No, students are not tracked on a screen as if they were wearing airtags. But the new system allows teachers to see in real time which students have permission to be in the hallway during class and how long they've been out. Thirty-seven district schools have opted into the program this year.
C.C.A. Baldi Middle School Principal Bianca Gillis told reporters Wednesday the system will show some students with a red "R" next to their name.
“Those are for kids that we don't let out at the same time because they're mischievous,” she said. “Maybe they text each other and say, ‘We're going to do our makeup on the upper level bathroom.’ Not today!”
The system also allows administrators to track patterns, to see how often students are leaving the classroom. A student can also be denied permission if their known friends or enemies are out there.
“If someone puts an apple in the toilet, I'm going to be able to go on this system,” Gillis explained, “and I'm going to be able to click on ‘history’ and actually see who's out at what time and what level bathroom they were supposed to be in.”
Baldi eighth-grader Kyhier Brice, however, was honest about the new system: He's no fan.
"I don't really like it,” he said, “because when my friends are out and I get restricted I can't go."
