Wethersfield High School Rule Changes Over The Years

Source: Homes.com

By: Edita Becirovic, '26

Over the years, the Wethersfield High School community has had many changes. One of the changes is the addition of new rules. No matter how hard the teachers tried to talk with the students, they always had new problems that were occurring. The teachers and the administrators had enough and finally decided to make the rules stricter so that students learn their lesson in the long run after high school. 

On November 11, I interviewed the Wethersfield High School principal, Mrs. O’Connor, and she said,“School avoidance and the lack of wanting to be in class skyrocketed during Covid.” The board of education of Wetherfield had to find a way to get back to the usual expectations quickly and have students learn how to stay in classes. 

The administrators learned about using a new program called Smartpass, where it tracks where and when the students go throughout the day. The pass can be created with a few clicks. All you have to do is search up app.smartpass.app, log in through your school email, find your location and add the location you want to visit. 

At WHS, there are staff members monitoring any students in the hallway to know that they are safe and going where they need to be going. The goal for the site is to have students in their classrooms to learn and not have them walking around, missing their learning. 

---

Source: Compliance Signs

 The rule that has been created in every school statewide is cellphone use during school time. Some schools have completely banned phones, where students would have to lock it in a pouch and wouldn’t see it for the rest of the school day. Mrs. O’Connor said that she didn’t really see that as a feasible alternative and had to find another way to solve that problem at WHS. She said, “The pouches weren’t working for a number of people, it was not being successful.” 

Parents were a little worried about their kids putting up their phones in the pouches due to the fact you never know what emergency can appear to happen. Teachers wouldn’t be able to carry all 20+ phones during a case of an emergency. The administrators have decided to go to the boxes because people were having a really hard time managing. This silver box has about 36 pouches where each student adds their phone in, there is a handle on top of the box so that teachers can carry it in case of an emergency. There is a key teachers have to lock and unlock the box. 

Mrs. O’Connor said, “I want you guys to leave this high school with as much knowledge in your brain as you can have and the ability to learn. Whatever you do after high school, you will need the ability to learn”. 

---