Rules regarding leaving and entering school revolve around one idea- safety.
Parents and guardians expect the school to be responsible for every student’s well-being, and control them within the schools boundaries.
Senior Girls Adviser Chair Stephanie Gamauf is well aware of this. “As a parent, sending your child to school means that you’re trusting your most prized possession with the school,” she said.
In order to leave school, a student must have a note explaining why they’re leaving, signed by their parent and adviser. This note must then be brought to the attendance office and traded for a pink slip, excusing your absence.
Another way a student can leave campus is if their ID is punched. In order for this to happen, a student’s parent must come into school and request a form to allow their student to walk off campus during their lunch period.
Only for periods 4, 5, or 6. If a student has a lunch period 4th and a free period 5th, they must return to school by the end of 4th period.
Entering cars is strictly prohibited during the school day unless you have a note to leave, or if your last periods of the day are free periods, which allows your day to end earlier if you leave school and don’t return.
“Consequences can range from truancies, to Saturday School, and even to suspension if you’re caught in a car without a note to leave. “It is completely a student safety issue,” said Gamauf.
New Trier Security Staff Member Johnny Owens said, “There is a red car that patrols around, and if they see a kid without a pink slip from the attendance office, then they know they can’t leave. Watch out for the red car, it’ll come and get you.”
Students tend to want to leave school when they have multiple free periods in a row. A senior who wishes to remain anonymous said, “it’s nice to be able to do something you want during a free period, but I never skip class to leave school. I think the rules are too strict because if you have more than one free period consecutively, then you should be allowed to go home or get food somewhere.”
Owens admitted that he checks at least 15 to 20 student IDs a period when students choose to leave the building. However, the same anonymous students said “I don’t have my student ID punched to let me leave and security never checks it, but on average, I leave school three to four times a month during my free periods to drive and get Starbucks.”
Junior Boys Adviser Chair Gregory Sego said, “We define off campus as ‘stepping off the curb.’ Part of the reason for all that is when a student is in school, which is normally 8:15-3:25; we are serving as their parents and need to know their whereabouts.”
“There are certainly academic things students can be doing during their free periods that aren’t lunch, and we want to encourage our students to do that,” said Sego.
No New Trier staff member can be certain that a student walking off campus does not get into a vehicle, but it is clearly stated at the beginning of the year in the student expectations and guidelines handbook.
Sego said, “We view students who enter a vehicle during the school day as an extremely serious consequence, which can range from a one day suspension or in school detention.”
“Normally we will call their parents in and have a meeting with them and the student just about why it’s against our policy, and have them understand better behavior and decision making,” said Sego.
Each different situation comes with its own evaluated consequence.
“We can work with students to appeal to their better interests, but in the end we cannot guarantee if a student is in a vehicle or not,” said Sego.