Many students have noticed the changes that not only Omaha Public Schools but Millard Public Schools have put into place. As a former student of Millard South, these two districts seem the easiest to compare. Differences include higher security, detector sweeps at school events, closed campus for lunch and drug dog checks. We are students, not inmates.
When you walk into each of these very different school districts, you can see that many students stress about school and some don’t show up to classes at all.
Looking at past years, within the first week of school, there have been at least two fights among the student body. During those times, School Resource Officer Jim Severn was present, breaking up fights as seen in videos. The sense of security during those times is put into question. How safe do we really feel around the building as students who attend school almost every day? If we have an officer breaking up fights, what may come next for students? This makes us question if these changes truly benefit students. The bigger challenges we face with having security at Millard South, lots of their fights have gone on for longer than they should have because of the struggle to find a security guard nearby. Not to mention, breaking up fights requires usually more than one guard.
Not only is security a problem, but also the motivation to make it through each day. Every day, teachers expect students to give 100 percent when most see school as a side job. Some students are athletes and stay at school for more than nine hours a day. Some have other commitments and are not focused solely on academics. That is an issue. As a solution, we could allow students more time to get help and have the same opportunities students who may not be as involved as others are in varies sports.
Coming from a smaller school district to OPS, I have found that Millard South’s longer school days and passing periods are problems, but Bryan seems to have a system with the halls that works. Millard South’s passing period is five minutes while Bryan’s is six. Both schools have a warning bell the last two minutes. Administrators are seen in the halls, gathering us like cattle.
Then, in the last 15 minutes of the block, you cannot get a pass unless in an absolute emergency, which can seem like an inconvenience to several students who may not have gotten the chance to use the bathroom beforehand. Students have six minutes to not only get to class but use the bathroom, when most of the time they are full to begin with.
This is not normal. Making students somehow fit their bathroom habits to an expected time is absurd.
Being used to the open campus during lunch, I found it hard to adjust. In OPS, no high schools are allowed open campus, keeping students under lock and key.
The dress code was also an adjustment. At Millard South, administrators cracked down, giving students referrals if they broke the code. On the other hand, Bryan has shown that the dress code does not matter by giving students more freedom to wear what they feel comfortable in. As you walk around Bryan, you notice several students wearing clothing items ranging from crop tops to pajama pants. I have always seen a dress code as a way of limiting a student’s creativity. Lots of students use their clothing choices as a way of creative output. I feel Bryan does a good job allowing students to do this.
Despite the positives school is now a chore, not a main priority. It is only getting worse from here.