App implemented as hall pass; behavioral issues down at Butler high school
Butler Area School District has been updating technology throughout its schools for several years, and the most recent technological advancement implemented at Butler Senior High School has been to the hall pass.
Jason Huffman, principal of Butler Senior High School, said administrators introduced SmartPass, a web application that helps control student movement throughout the campus, in January, and it already has helped cut down on behavioral issues.
Since its introduction, SmartPass has all but replaced the block hall passes previously used in the school.
“They have a hall monitor feature, and I can see every active pass in the building, see where they are, how long they have been out,” Huffman said. “A student creates the pass, and the teacher has to approve it or deny it. From there, a student has a countdown for how long remains active.
“The result for us has been (that) in between classes, we have increased our supervision,” he said.
Brian White, district superintendent, said administrators started looking for ways to deter behavioral infractions by students since they became frequent at the start of the school year.
White said a majority of behavioral infractions came from only a few students, but the frequency of disruptions — several of which were physical altercations — made finding a solution a priority.
“The staff, the local police, everyone is working on this together,” White said.
Huffman said the SmartPass app has helped to “decrease unnecessary interactions between kids.” Huffman said that because students have to sign in to the app whenever they need to leave their classroom during class, they are less likely to cause a disturbance.
“I think what the students have realized is the app isn't catching you doing something wrong, it just allows us a more-efficient way of knowing where everyone is supposed to be,” Huffman said.
White said the app is just one of many things administrators are doing to cut down on behavioral issues and conflicts between students. He said the creation of an after-school intervention program, where students who cause a certain number of disruptions at school are sent to take classes away from other students, also has influenced behavior.
“It's lightly attended but it’s a place for students who are being disruptive. Removing disruptive students I think has done the most,” White said. “The staff, the local police, parents, everyone is working on this together.”
Huffman said the application has been another deterrent to improper behavior at the high school, giving staff members more opportunity to have good interactions with students.
“At this point, it's just building good relationships with kids,” Huffman said. “We want to be in the position where we can help prevent mistakes not be reactive.”
