As the bell rings, swarms of students flood the hallways. The crowded halls become almost impossible to navigate and slow to traverse. After minutes of congested staircases and busy hallways, you barely arrive to class on time. Has this ever happened to you? The fact of the matter is that this situation has been experienced by a plethora of students.

The passing periods between classes need to be longer, preferably around ten minutes total, to ensure that students will be able to get to class on time. Students that have to cross the entire school for a class suffer the most from this. Under normal circumstances, without any construction, it would take the whole passing period to get from the math hallway to the art or music halls.

Due to recent construction throughout the school, part of the main staircase had to be shut down. This has caused an increase in foot traffic around the staircases that used to be nice and calm. The staircases by the front office have seen an all time high in regards to traffic. Not only is this annoying for the average student, but it also eats up a considerable chunk of time that could have been spent walking to class or going to the bathroom.

Lengthening the passing period could also boost productivity and engagement during class. Currently, the passing periods are not long enough for someone to use the bathroom or go to other rooms before class, so this means that time has to be taken away from vital instructional time. By having a ten minute long passing period, students will have the time to go to the bathroom, the cafe or the office if needed.

The social benefits of a longer passing period shouldn’t be ignored. Some friends don’t get to see each other enough because of how different everyone’s schedules are, and the fact that Early College students are separated from everyone else doesn’t help either. Added time for socialization has a direct benefit on the mental wellbeing for students.

The most important reason for an elongated passing period would be for students to be able to comfortably use the restroom and still have enough time to get to class without being late. The average bathroom break can take upwards of five minutes. With the current length of time allowed for passing periods, this isn’t possible unless your next class is in the same room.

In conclusion, the benefits of an increased passing period outweigh the negatives. Class times may end up being a little shorter, but there would be no reason for anyone to be late to class. In addition, students wouldn’t lose important instructional time and students would see an improvement in mental wellbeing.