With hybrid scheduling and having only half the student population in the building over the past year, many rules and procedures changed and were loosened a bit.

Now that the school has returned to a regular schedule, some are having a hard time adjusting to the way things were before COVID and to new rules meant to still keep students socially distanced.

The parking lots are jammed and seniors don’t think the rules about parking and other “senior privileges” are being enforced strictly enough.

“Underclassmen need to get out of our parking lot,”  Senior Savannah Skinner said. “I followed the rules for three years. These underclassmen are too big for their britches.” 

Senior Amelia Hately said underclassmen should get a tardy or fine for parking in the senior parking lot. 

“That is a privilege that you have to wait for until you’re a senior,” she said.

Assistant Principal Ms. Joy Graves said “with the hybrid schedule, originally underclassmen were misinformed and didn’t know that was senior parking.”

They now are being fined $10 each for parking in senior spots, she said. More than two dozen fines have been given out so far. 

Tardies are up, too, due to traffic and more kids being in the parking lot, Attendance Clerk Mrs. Melissa Welch said. 

“I think our kids are having a hard time gauging on when to leave their house for school,” she said. “They aren’t considering how long it actually takes to find a parking spot and go through the metal detector.”

The hallways are another issue. Students were used to wide open hallways over the past year, but now feel as though they are like ants moving from class to class. To help with the flow, hallways are one-way with arrows directing students which way to go.

 “I think it’s a good idea to have tape in the hallway and make students walk in one direction because it isolates people but it can get annoying when trying to get to class,” Senior DJ Brummett said.

However, some students think the teachers are being too strict, especially on the second floor, where social studies teachers have been standing at the end of the hallway and shouting “Turn around!” at students who do not follow the direction of the arrows on the floor. Students get frustrated because they have to take a longer route to class.

Social Studies Teacher and Boys Lacrosse Coach Mr. Matthew Fox is one of the teachers often at the end of the hallway enforcing the rule with his trademark lacrosse stick.

“It’s ridiculous, he always makes me turn around when I’m literally about to reach my class,” Senior Alan Lucas said. “I don’t understand his rule because COVID doesn’t only travel forwards.”

Mr. Fox said he is simply trying to keep students safe and socially distanced so they do not get COVID.

“First of all, I am a firm believer in science and my wife is a physical therapist so she has been in contact and seen the side effects first hand,” he said. “Second of all, I believe in rules and rules should be followed. My job each and every day is to enforce these rules upon students. The expectations in the hallway is that students will go in the right direction.”