Hays High eliminates staggered dismissal process
On Aug. 26, 2020, Hays High announced that there would be a staggered dismissal instead of all students being dismissed at the same time to avoid students gathering at the same time in the hallways.
During a Schedule A week, the dismissal time would be 2:59 p.m. for classrooms that have an A letter on their classroom door, 3:01 p.m. For B classrooms, 3:03 p.m. for C classrooms and 3:05 p.m. for D classrooms. The starting letter then changed each week.
“It is my understanding the idea behind the staggered dismissal was in response to the COVID outbreak,” science instructor John Neal said. “As that becomes less and less of a concern, we will return to normalcy with many parts of our lives.”
On the Monday following Hays High’s Spring Break, March 29, it was announced that there would be no more staggered dismissal.
“I think in the beginning, staggered dismissal was a fine idea given the unknowns of the virus and the need for social distancing, which is difficult for a school full of people,” English teacher Diane Mason said. “Staggering dismissal was a way to put distance among people. Right this minute, the unknowns of the virus and its mutations will need to be evaluated before making a decision for next year.
The Staggered Dismissal is very new to this year due to COVID-19 Precautions. For safety concerns, it allowed students to practice social distancing. Since cases have gone down, there will be no more Staggered Dismissal, along with temperature checks in the morning before class.
“From a teacher’s perspective, it is better to have uniformity in class times,” social science teacher Abby Gillan said. “Class really did basically stop once announcements started and the bells rang every two minutes. So, whether dismissal was at 2:59 or 3:05, my class for all intents and purposes ended at 2:59. Plus, students were always worried about which bell we were that week, and I found it to be a little tedious. I do think it was good for students in terms of reducing traffic in the student parking lot and there is value in that.”
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Emma Kuhn • Apr 9, 2021 at 10:09 am
i wish it came back too. even if it was by class or something. it gave me a nice boost to the parking lot when i have to rush home and eat before i go work
Elizabeth Thomas • Apr 8, 2021 at 1:19 pm
I wish we still had the staggered dismissal honestly, because it reduced the risk of accidents in the parking lot. Which was important, because high schooler’s dont know how to drive as is. But now that its done with, everyone is dismissed at the same time everyday. Which is a horrible idea, because the risk of accidents increased.
I’ve noticed that when student’s are leaving the school parking lot, there in a hurry. Which causes them to drive faster than necessary. That then leads to students almost hitting other’s, which is dangerous to others and themselves. Or there’s students that go to Hays High School, but don’t live in Hays. For example, I live in Plainville which is twenty-four minutes away from Hays. I work right after school at four, because staggered dismissal gave me enough time. But now that everyone gets out at the same time, it takes longer. Which causes me to get home later, and not enough time to get ready for work sometimes.
But back to the careless drivers at Hays High, student’s need to be more aware of the other driver’s now. Since most students drive recklessly, and dont care about other driver’s.
Jessica Augustine • Apr 9, 2021 at 8:26 am
Thank you for your thoughtful comment!