What is the Effect of Having an Open High School Campus?
An open high school campus means freedom for students to go out during lunch periods and other free classes. A handful of schools have implemented this policy while the majority are in a dilemma as to whether they should go along with it or not. Many schools had said that this would give miscreants the opportunity to get into trouble. It will, in turn, put the institute into the wrong light. An open high school campus policies may not have been able to monitor the movement of their students. Many administrators are not aware which class is scheduled for a break or free class. Students may take advantage of this and move about freely. The administrators will have no knowledge of this. Another downside is that such policies don't have the students signing a log book to inform the school that they are headed for outside.
Positive Effect
- Refresh mind and body: a short walk outside the school can release unwanted school pressure
- Interaction: students can use the time to interact and socialise with friends or catch up for lunch with their parents
- Creates and brings about a sense of responsibility
- Food options: many students complain about the food available in their school canteen. Open high school campus gives them the chance to eat whatever they like
- Much needed break
Negative Effect
- Encourages unhealthy diet
- Students are free to do whatever they want
- Truancy: students will be unnecessary drop out of classes
- Chance to engage in bad activities: smoking, drug and alcohol abuse
- Fights
- High chances of getting hurt: e.g. being targeted by a gang or getting hit by a car
- Bad impact on discipline
- Peer pressure
Schools are a place of learning. It's a place where students have to follow rules and regulations. It brings about order and discipline. School principals and the administration body should carefully go through the policies they want to implement. Everything has its good and bad side. But it becomes a whole new level of responsibility and needs caution when students, hundreds of students are going to be part of it. They have to weigh out the good with the bad and raise it with the parents because they part of the school. One thing they should keep in the mind is that every student is an individual. They think and behave differently. Some like bending the rules and some like following it. Some give in easily to peer pressure, and some remain steadfast. Some are good in academics and some in sports. In other words, when new rules or policies are implemented, the administrators should give it some time. They should see the reaction of students. Are they following it or are they taking advantage of it? Before any implementation, administrators should be ready for anything - the good and the bad. For the bad, they should have a plan B in place to handle the situation. It is laudable that some schools have gone ahead and allowed their students an open campus. They have given their students to make responsible choices. Many parents don't like the idea of their students leaving the campus before the scheduled time. It makes them insecure, worried and tense. They say that schools ensure responsibility of the students, but open campus systems create loopholes. It gives opportunities to outsiders to take advantage. Parents say that students shouldn't be given too much free time as this alarms problems. Students are in a growing phase and they can engage in anything which the peers pressurise them into. It has dire consequences. And eventually, the school will deny accountability of it. Students and parents will be left in the mess to pick up the pieces. Parents and teachers agree with uniformity. Students should be handled with care. They should be moulded in the right manner in the right direction. There shouldn't be too many limitations and too much freedom. A right and good balance do the trick. When students are bounded or limited, they become rebellious; schools and parents are then not able to handle them. Students should be guided properly. If schools have given the go-ahead for the open campus, they should also assign teachers and administrators to keep watch and track on the students who go outside for lunch or projects. Students should be required to fill in a form and have their parents sign it for approval. There should be a proper system in place.