This year at Capital, the closed campus policy has been in many discussions. Students would like the freedom of an open campus, while administration is concerned for safety.
Some students may want to leave campus to get food during lunch, and others, such as running start students may be leaving campus throughout the day. CHS student Heather Campbell said the closed campus is inconvenient for these students. The school is, however, responsible for students all day and students who are off campus could be a liability.
One of CHS’s assistant principals, Mr. Anderson, says that this debate does not necessarily have an easy solution, since he can see both sides. In order to try and keep students on campus, Mr. Anderson said communication is key. This communication was especially prominent in the beginning of the year, when there was a daily reminder on the morning announcements that Capital is a closed campus, and the administration has been communicating with parents through school newsletters. It was also mentioned at the open house.
In order for admin at CHS to know where students are going during the day (if they are leaving campus) they try and funnel cars out from the parking lots through one or two entrances/exits, where a staff member has been monitoring who’s leaving and why, such as for running start or appointments. This monitoring is important to ensure students can be easily located and accounted for incase of an emergency.
Though Capital’s closed campus has been in effect for 17 years, it’s been brought up much more frequently since the recent events of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, students were encouraged to eat in their cars at school because of social distancing and masking concerns. Many say this is a contributing factor in the discussion, and as Mr. Hamilton said, “Those years of Covid have changed everything, molded you into different kinds of people, so the ideas of staying on campus were a little different.”
While the administration is working hard to keep students on campus, when it comes down to it students being motivated to stay at school is vital. One idea Mr Hamilton had to keep students motivated to stay on campus was bringing in food trucks during lunch once a month in order for students to have a variety of food options.
Mr. Anderson had an idea of students being able to earn or apply for tickets or passes to be able to leave at lunch in the future. “The idea of… “maybe trying to progress to a point where we could give [students] tickets or passes or something to allow certain cars to go out [of campus].” These could be based on a student’s report on attendance, behavior, and grades (BAG report, or early warning indicators), and these reports could help ensure that students who are leaving campus aren’t just leaving campus to skip class or go home, as well as help the school recognize students who may need help.
In addition, the accountability factor that was brought up in conversation with both staff and students. Some say leaving campus helps students stay accountable for their time and actions during lunch, and helps them prepare for life after high school in time management and their responsibility. .
So, then the discussion around Capital’s Closed Campus becomes ‘is it really about the food? Or is it about accountability and the freedom to leave?’