Calif. High School Students Forced to Scan QR Code to Leave Classroom Slam New Policy: 'Unfair'
Students have started a Change.org petition that claims the school's new policy "is unfairly preventing students from using the restroom"
A California high school has replaced hall passes with QR codes, but some students feel the change is unfair.
The policy, implemented this school year at Edison High School in Huntington Beach, requires students to scan a QR code in order to leave the classroom, according to CBS affiliate KCBS-TV and CW affiliate KTLA .
Students must scan the same QR code when they return and are limited to seven minutes outside of the classroom at one time, KTLA and The Orange County Register reported.
Not everyone is thrilled with the change, which limits students to just three bathroom breaks per day, according to KCBS-TV. Students are also required to check out with the QR code if they visit the nurse, wellness center or library.
Related: St. Louis School District Offering Families Money to Drive Kids to School amid Bus Driver Shortage
Jacob Green, a senior at EHS, feels the new policy "is definitely unfair" for students. "Sometimes the bathrooms are closed, and sometimes, we don't have enough time for the seven-minute limit that we get," he told KTLA.
And there are consequences for being late, too. "If we don't end up [returning] within the seven minutes, we get marked as truant, absent or being late to the class," Green explained.
Students have even started an online petition at Change.org that claims the school "is unfairly preventing students from using the restroom," and suggests "capping the amount of bathroom breaks is unreasonable.
The petition highlights some of the students' concerns, such as female students' lack of access to bathrooms while menstruating and the 4th Amendment which "protects individuals from unreasonable searches and invasions of privacy."
Students are even concerned about possible medical conditions that could occur, such as urinary tract infections, or be impacted by a lack of access to the bathroom, such as irritable bowel syndrome, according to the petition.
"We demand that Edison eliminate the restrictive bathroom policy," the petition read. It then asks the school to replace the policy "with a more compassionate and health-conscious approach."
Related: Principal and Teacher Help Co-Worker Give Birth in School Bathroom: 'It All Happened Very Fast'
"Every student deserves to have their basic needs respected without fear of penalties of embarrassment," the petition added.
Over 650 signatures have been collected through the petition as of Thursday, Oct. 17.
Principal Daniel Morris told the Register that the goal of the new policy, which was introduced to students earlier this month, is to know where all students are should an emergency occur.
Additionally, Morris said the new policy helps school staff determine if certain students need additional support or if a discussion should be started with them based on the number of times they leave the classroom.
Regarding students' concerns about the limited access to the bathroom, Morris said, "We understand kids' situations, and in 99% of those cases, we're aware of the students that need extra visits."
PEOPLE has reached out to Morris for comment.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
