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Students and parents push back on SmartPass automated hall‑pass system over bathroom access, privacy and disability handling
Summary
Students at Hopewell Valley Central High School and parents told the board the new SmartPass system is cumbersome and blocks bathroom access, and parents said the system fails to accommodate medical needs such as inflammatory bowel disease. The superintendent said teachers can override passes and the district will keep adjusting the rollout.
Students, parents and board members raised concerns about SmartPass, the district’s new automated hall‑pass system, citing long waits to use restrooms, privacy worries and challenges for students with medical needs.
A student speaker said the system requires users to log into a device, join a queue and wait — sometimes preventing a student from obtaining a bathroom pass for 40 minutes after creating a previous pass. “It makes it difficult and frustrating to complete simple tasks such as talking with a teacher during recitation, printing, filling up your water bottle, and especially going to the bathroom,” HVCHS junior Emil Backus said during public comment. He added the system was “distracting” when students must pull out Chromebooks and wait for a slot.
Parents said the system can present health risks for students with chronic conditions. Parent Mark Boveeiner told the board his daughter has inflammatory bowel disease and missed school because she did not want to use SmartPass; he urged the district to ensure an accommodation pathway. The superintendent said teachers can always override passes and that students with documented medical needs should have individual accommodations through their 504 or IEP process.
Superintendent Dr. Therese acknowledged implementation problems and noted the district had already adjusted some initial rules (for example, the “no‑fly” time window). “Continue to give us your feedback because you know we care about that,” she said, and added administration would continue to tweak SmartPass and hear student leaders’ concerns.
Students said they had begun petitions and informal protests at the high school; the board encouraged students to present specific improvement requests to school leaders. District staff said they will report back to the board in February with implementation updates.
