Sunayana Khadka

Pleasant Valley High School students are able to leave the school if they have an excessive amount of study hall.

PVHS enacted a new study hall policy that allows students to leave during certain study halls and lunch.

A new study hall policy was put in place shortly after Senior College and Career Readiness, a required class at PVHS that helps students prepare for college and future careers, was completed. Principal Mike Hawley and Associate Principal Adam Pagett associate principal decided it was necessary to put a new policy in place which would benefit students with back to back study halls.

The policy was put in place due to many seniors having an excessive amount of study hall time especially after they finished their College and Career Readiness course. Pagett communicated “Their schedules may have already been light due to already completing requirements for graduation, and it linked this study hall time together.” Many factors played into students having multiple study halls.

Students at PVHS who have over two consecutive hours of study hall qualify to leave. This would include students who have three periods of study halls in a row. Students who have a 5th-period study hall with either a 4th or 6th-period study hall before or after also qualify to leave.

The paperwork process is quite simple; students who have a schedule that qualifies are able to get a permission slip from the main office. It’s a one-time, half-sheet of paper that the student must fill out and have a parent signature. Once they turn it into the office, students are able to leave and come back, as long as they sign in and out of the office.

The policy can also help lower the crowding during D lunch and 5th-period study hall. The increased enrollment at PVHS has increased significantly causing the lunch rooms to be full. “Even while using the commons it’s still overcrowded. This policy can also help relieve the crowd, and the number of kids in 5th-period study hall” conveyed Jim, study hall and lunch monitor.

Some students chose not to leave due to how hard it is to find a parking spot. They don’t believe it’s worth circling the parking lots or having to walk from the Scott parking lots. “It’s difficult to find a parking spot and as a growing school in a well of community we require more parking than what’s available”Junior Hailey Dyer a PVHS student stated. Students could also get their privilege to leave during study hall provoked if they start failing their classes, if they fail to sign in and out of the office or fail to show up back to school on time.

The new policy allowing students to leave for lunch and study hall can be very beneficial if students are able to be responsible or believe it’s worth it.