Student board members outline transition challenges; suggest hallway flow, locker and peer‑tour ideas

At the Sept. 9 Pottsgrove School District board meeting, student board members delivered a report on student transitions from elementary to middle school and from middle to high school and offered several practical suggestions to ease those moves.

Jordan, a student board representative, said interviews with three freshmen and one sixth grader found most students had few concerns but noted recurring issues: short passing times at the high school that make locker trips difficult, confusion about hallway circulation where some students suggested walking on one side of the hallway, and limited time to acclimate to lockers at the middle school. Jordan recommended considering slightly longer passing periods, reassessing locker assignments to follow walking patterns, and using high‑school students to give targeted tours to incoming middle‑school students as part of orientation rather than only generalized walkthroughs.

Superintendent Dr. Finney thanked Jordan for the report, said district leaders and the high‑school leadership team are “seeing some positives,” and emphasized that student and staff safety is central to decision-making. Dr. Finney added the district will continue to evaluate progress. In response to a student question about future changes to a currently in‑place ban, Dr. Finney said, “So we're gonna take a wait and see attitude,” indicating the district would monitor effects before altering the policy.

The student report also noted one sixth grader received a private tour from a vice principal after requesting help locating classes, illustrating that personalized support is available but may not be scalable without administrative time. Student representatives and the board discussed balancing administrative workload with creating additional peer-tour or orientation options.