As students moved into the second semester of the 2025-2026 school year, many noted the existence of new hallway policies. Students outside of study halls are no longer allowed to access the snack bar. More recently, PV has hired two new hall monitors and started to implement a new color-coding hall pass system.
The culmination of these factors has resulted in students perceiving the rules in a negative light. “I’ve heard a multitude of student anecdotes regarding these changes—most of which are somewhat negative,” shared senior Ella Hauber.
Many students’ opinions point to technical problems with these new policies, as they believe these policies will harm student life. “I think the snack bar rules have made food less accessible to students who need it, and limiting access to food can cause bad effects on students,” said senior Maren Abernathy-Wee.
Besides some students’ thoughts about the snack bar, concerns have emerged regarding the structure of the new hall pass system. “I think the newly implemented color-coded hall pass system was not well thought out,” said Hauber. “What if I have to use the restroom and I am in the dungeon, because there is no restroom down there, would I get in trouble for leaving that zone?”
Beyond technical problems with the newly implemented systems, many have had personal issues with the new hallway environment. “In my opinion, the increase in the number of hall monitors has taken quite the toll on the hallway environment… The interactions have seemed more hostile rather than helpful.”
For students like Hauber, this has come from interactions with hall monitors. “I was stopped by a new monitor, he asked me, ‘Where are you sneaking off to?’ To which I responded that I was not sneaking off to anywhere.” This wording carries a negative connotation, and interactions like this with students do not create a safe environment where students feel they can be present without being wrongfully accused of wrongdoing.
Because of interactions like this, many students have questioned why this seemingly sudden change has occurred. “We hired more hall monitors with the expansion of our building and to ensure the safety of our students,” said secretary Amanda Hazelwood. She highlighted that this change also came because the school only had one hall monitor, and the building was already too large for only her to cover, so this change felt necessary.
For Principal Micheal Hawley, this new change was necessary to address students spending class time in the hallways. “We saw lots of students who spend way too much time in the hallways. So we had to come up with a way to better understand when students are in the hallways,” shared Hawley. “We had students who were going really far, and so that’s why we made the adjustments…we talked to people who used this system at a different school, and they really liked it.”
The emphasis on protecting instructional time also led to the implementation of strict rules on the snack bar. “We had many teachers who were really frustrated,” shared Hawley. “Their kids would say they’re going to go to the bathroom, and then they go to the snack bar…over and over and over again.” Despite these restrictions, Hawley encouraged teachers to use their discretion. “If there’s a student you feel must have food that didn’t get food in the morning, then please send the kid.”
Many students continue to criticize these newly implemented rules; however, the administration believes they were completely necessary. Nevertheless, it is unclear as of now what would spark a remodeling of these rules, or if there will ever be any reformation in the near future.
