At the beginning of the school year, a committee of teachers, guidance counselors and administrators made a new policy involving planners. These planners will help students stay organized and help them keep track of important dates and times. However, students are concerned about what this new policy will bring to Battle High School.

Students are wondering why the planner policy was made. The associate principal Adam Taylor said, “The committee put this procedure in place so students stay in class. Last year we saw too many kids in the hallways skipping classes.” Taylor said that the planners are not a punishment but a tool to help students succeed in high school. 

Another major change in the school was the implementation of a pass page. Students wonder what happens when you run out of passes. Taylor said, “We are still exploring that. We don’t want the passes to be taken advantage of. If [running out of passes] happens, we would come up with a plan for that student. The intention of the planner isn’t to say that you can’t go to the bathroom or media center, it’s to keep you in class.”  

When students learned about this policy there was a mixed reaction. “I found it overwhelming and ridiculous,” junior Robert Connor said. 

Devan Kelley, junior, also spoke against planners. “Everything has gotten more strict. They expect you to do everything with your planner,” Kelley said. Many students like Kelley say they don’t use their planner daily. 

Not all students hate the planners though. Some feel that there’s a better solution to keep students organized. Sophomore Annabelle Lawrance uses a planner daily.   “I think it’s good students have access to them,” Lawrence said.

The planner policy currently is a one year experiment but the committee will get data from teachers and students and will decide if it is necessary to keep the planner policy moving forward.