High schools report mixed survey results on electronic pass system; administrators say it improved supervision and reduced vaping

Sandpoint and Clark Fork high school administrators told trustees that an electronic student pass system produced mixed survey responses but overall improved supervision and reduced reported vaping.

Administrators presented a short survey that included students, parents and staff. They said staff reactions and parent responses skewed positive while student responses were less enthusiastic. One administrator summarized the student response: “If you ask the kids right off the bat, it's like, heck, no,” noting that student acceptance often lags implementation even when staff and parents report benefits.

Administrators described operational details: the system records student name and destination only; it does not attach photographs or other personal information. “We don't attach any pictures or, information other than their name. So we know who's going where,” one administrator said. Clark Fork administrators said pass‑tracking is retained only for the current school year and that pass data are not carried over into subsequent years: “At Clark Fork, we don't track from year to year. It's only the current year you're in. We don't keep any of the data from the past year. So those kids all start fresh from the beginning.”

Administrators said the system aided safety and supervision — front offices, CSOs and administrators can see where students have indicated they are going — and helped limit congregation in bathrooms and other informal gathering spots that formerly enabled vaping. They also described features used for instructional support: teachers can issue passes to request targeted students to attend extra help sessions or interventions without overwhelming teachers or interrupting class time.

Trustees asked about privacy, data retention, and whether pass records might stigmatize students across years; administrators responded that records are cleared at year‑end and emphasized accommodations for students with 504 plans and other needs. No policy changes were made; trustees received the report and administrators said they will continue monitoring the program and parent communications.