Until last last week, students enjoyed the luxury of sitting and socializing in the gyms before school started in the morning. But since last week, the gym has been closed.

Students must either stay in the cafeteria or a classroom. The main reason for this decision has been the lack of teacher supervision in the gym.

““The biggest reason is that there is no supervision in there. In the main gym, the Vandy Gym, kids were just hanging out,” assistant principal Benji Betts said. “But we had been hearing things, especially about the west gym.”

The stairwells near the Vandermeer Gym were of concern because students were able to hide within them, allowing for what Betts referred to as “private time.” There were also students playing basketball and throwing frisbee in both gyms, further influencing the administration’s decision.

“Student safety was a concern,” Betts said. “If somebody gets hurt while no one is around, that will not look good. Parents will be asking who was there to help their child, and we would have to answer: a hundred other students, with no teacher.”

Betts expressed uncertainty about whether or not the administration would be able to find teachers who could watch over students in the gym. According to Betts, the administration has considered asking teachers to come in early; however, they were unsure if this would happen during this school year.

“It is a challenge to do it because we need teachers willing to come in early and their contract time is not 7:15, I believe it is 7:20 or 7:25, so we have to find someone willing to watch students,” Betts said.