This year, LFHS has implemented a new study hall policy for juniors. The new approach allows a greater amount of freedom for juniors regarding how they use their time for schoolwork. 

The old system gave only seniors this level of freedom; however, allowing students to have more independence at a younger age gives them more of an opportunity to identify what works best for them when it comes to managing their time. 

In my personal experience, my method for keeping up with my work has changed over the years, and with the new policy, I will have even more time to hone my process. 

With the old policy, at the beginning of the period, freshmen through juniors would have to check in with their study hall teachers and put their phones in the caddy; students would not be allowed to have them back until the end of the period, even if they finished their work.

If they wanted to visit a resource center or the library, they would first have to get permission from their teacher, sign out of the classroom, and then sign in upon arriving at the resource center. 

I found that during my freshman and sophomore years, sometimes as much as 15 minutes were wasted on attendance at the beginning of my study hall period. 

Not only did the old policy create a number of time-consuming steps, it also limited location options for where juniors could study. Students with a study hall scheduled during a lunch period were not permitted to use the library. Additionally, the Grind and Commons were not permitted to be used during study halls.

The updated policy now streamlines the study hall process for juniors. In order to be marked present, juniors have to scan in to the library, a resource center, or the commons by using their student ID. By not having to go to a study hall classroom, wait for attendance, and sign out with a study hall teacher, students can maximize their time efficiently.

Additionally, juniors are now permitted to manage their own phone use. This is an important skill because in the future, students will not have someone monitoring them to make sure that they stay on task, so they need to learn how to manage their workload even with distractions.

Junior year can be quite a stressful time for students, considering that they are prepping for the ACT and/or SAT and going on college visits, all while maintaining their grades. When juniors get a chance for a break, it is a privilege that they rightfully deserve. 

At the beginning of the year, the deans discussed with the juniors that there are some concerns with the new policy, and if juniors are abusing their new privileges, then we will revert to the old policy. However, if it works well, then it will be kept. 

Some may argue that even though the system itself is more efficient, it may not be better for students because there isn’t a teacher present to make sure that they do not waste time. However, students have been doing well with the new policy. 

“I can say anecdotally, anytime I go to the library, I don’t see a lot of goofing around. It seems kids are engaged,” Dean of Students Jonathan Silver said. “We haven’t gotten any notice from librarians this year as far as kids abusing their privileges.”

The new policy shows that the school trusts the juniors, and the juniors have conveyed through their actions that the trust was deserved. The successful implementation of the policy, along with its support from the junior class, is more than enough reason to adopt it permanently.