We all have noticed that there have been a few “minor” changes in the way our student body is functioning due to new restrictions that are now being enforced with the new school year. Some big issues include the new locker and hallway restrictions. A lot of people are tired of hearing about this, and it seems that a lot of administrators are annoyed with the students complaining about it. Is it really that big of a deal? Maybe…maybe not. What if this is actually helping to improve KCHS’ student body?

It’s the school’s responsibility to make sure that a safe and caring environment is offered to us during the school day. The administration is constantly looking for anything they can change to make our school a better place for learning. After all, that is what school is for.

The administration felt the need to put restrictions on backpacks and the amount of students in the hallway throughout the school day. At first, a lot of students weren’t happy about this. Complaints were being thrown left and right, but there are more important issues.

Students were being distracted with personal belongings during class, especially their cell phones and CD players. Our 2004-2005 Student Handbook states, “all book bags must be stored in the locker during the school day until the last period of the day.” Also, “all cell phones will be stored in the lockers during the school day” and “all headphone sets and other electronic devices must be stored in lockers”. It's wrong to assume that lockers issued to students at the beginning of the year will be used. Students still keep their cell phones and CD players with them during the day, which can cause distraction.

“I think that students are less distracted’ said Mrs. Carroll, a Spanish and SAT Prep teacher at KCHS in regards to the backpack policy. She doesn’t see better or worse behavior in the student body with all the new restrictions. However, Mrs. Carroll says she has had to send a few people out of class for bringing backpacks in with them.

Senior Bruce Wright feels differently about these distractions. “It’s all the same. I really haven’t noticed any distractions in class. Everyone still carries their cell phones. A lot of people still have their CD players with them, and as for magazines, kids will slip everything right into their binders. I haven’t seen that much improvement.”

Another major issue with students was the concern that they were making it to classes on time. “There seems to be no problem in my classes,” states Mrs. Carroll. “I also find that, because of fewer distractions, like CD players, hats, and especially food. It’s a good rule. Also, students have to be more organized. They think ahead about what they need for my class.”

Wright felt the same way as Mrs. Carroll. “When you think about it, you’ll see that its forced students to take advantage of their time between classes so they are able to travel to their lockers and get to class on time.” The new restrictions help teach the students responsibility that will help them in the future.

Without big and heavy backpacks in the halls, one would think that hallway traffic has improved, but not everyone feels this way.

“In my opinion, traffic is worse because you have mass crowds of people trying to get to their classes and lockers. No one is really being respectful to anyone else and everyone is just all over the place,” comments Wright.

The list of pros and cons are endless, and everyone has their own opinion. Many are frustrated not being able to have backpacks. However, in the long run it appears to be helping students. They are finally getting used to new procedures, which is an okay thing for the student body.