Queensbury High School is an international baccalaureate (IB) school in upstate New York that serves more than 1,000 students. Typical of many high schools today, Queensbury was grappling with an increase in vaping, student meetups, and time spent out of class.
The school’s traditional approach to hall passes wasn’t helping the situation either. Their paper hall passes weren’t being used or enforced consistently, so students didn’t take it seriously. Queensbury High School needed a better way to keep students engaged in learning and out of trouble.
Switching to a Digital Hall Pass Sets Clear Expectations, and Students Make Better Decisions
Queensbury High School’s three-person administrative team, including assistant principal Justin Lansley, were hopeful that the Securly Pass digital hall pass system would help them level-set expectations and reduce disciplinary referrals. But they needed to get their staff on board with the change.
Justin and his team started by getting buy-in from their department chairs. Then, they had the chairs introduce it to teachers. Finally, the entire faculty came together for training on the Securly Pass system.
Queensbury’s phased rollout plan paid off, and soon teachers were experiencing the advantages of a digital hall pass first-hand. Today, Justin and his staff no longer have to confront students who are out of class. Instead, they simply check the Securly Pass dashboard from their computer or their phone to confirm if the student has a valid hall pass. If not, they’re sent back to class.
“With Securly Pass, if we see a student in the bathrooms during class, we can check the Pass app on our phones and see if a student is approved to be there or not. Students know we’re keeping track of things, so they’re going directly where they’re supposed to go instead of taking the meandering way to get there.”
Queensbury High School’s Disciplinary Referrals Decrease and School Safety Improves After Implementing Securly Pass
With Securly Pass, Justin and his staff have unprecedented visibility into and control over student movement. They can see all active passes in use at any given time, so if a teacher sees a student out of class without a valid pass, there’s no arguing or ambiguity. Additionally, limits can be placed on the number of passes in use, which minimizes the opportunity for student meetups, vaping, and other unsafe behaviors.
The effectiveness of a digital hall pass is evident in Queensbury High School’s reduction in student referrals, which Justin says decreased by more than 60% year over year. Furthermore, when a behavioral issue does arise, the school’s administrators and teachers have access to Pass records to validate their suspicions, and to share with students and families if disciplinary action is needed.
“Implementing Securly Pass has been a great experience overall. It’s made my job easier as an administrator, and it’s improved relationships with teachers and students.”
Since implementing Securly Pass, Queensbury High School is a safer and more productive learning environment. Parents appreciate the increased security, knowing the school can pinpoint their children’s locations during school hours, and students also feel safer knowing there is increased oversight during the school day.
Level Up Expectations and Student Behavior with Securly Pass
Queensbury High School is just one of thousands of schools who’ve made the switch to a digital hall pass. Since making the change, they’re:
- Keeping students in class and learning
- Reducing student disciplinary referrals
- Helping students and their families feel safer
- Using reports and data to address problem behaviors
- Creating a more positive and accountable culture
If your school is looking for a proven way to maximize in-class time, reduce disciplinary issues, and improve school safety, take a closer look at Securly Pass: www.securly.com/pass.
Or better yet, experience Securly Pass for yourself. Schedule a no-obligation demo here.
