It’s 2:40 p.m., and you’re excited to find your friends but security is telling everybody “stop standing around and go home.” Is that fair? Are they tripping? Or  is there something to that rule?

Here at West Leyden, the closed campus rule, which means  students must report to where they are supposed to be dismissed from. is strictly enforced because of security concerns. This rule is for the safety of students and it does limit students’ ability to spend time with friends. The intention behind this rule is to maintain safety for students, it may seem very restrictive  to students but it’s here to help us grow. Most students would agree that an open campus policy would create more opportunities for more social interaction and relaxation.  Staff would argue that trust and responsibility should be given to students to use their free time as they choose, with the help of security to keep us safe and help keep order. 

Students think that an open campus will be beneficial because parents will at least know that their child is safe. Students will be doing the following:  A. Doing Homework/getting help, B. Relaxing because they need a place to relax and calm down, C. Socially with other students and making friends or D. waiting on their ride because they are a bit running late.   Damian Marreor, a sophomore, says,  “I think that would be the best idea ever because it’s not fair that students aren’t allowed to like to walk around after school, even though they encourage you to do it. 
Like the deans will tell you like, oh, do stuff after school. you have 30 minutes of student teacher time, but then they don’t want you there. Like, it makes absolutely no sense. And I think that they should give you extra time to stay after school, because they tell you to.”  He thinks that it is confusing to students because they tell us one thing then go back and tell us another thing. He thinks an open campus will be a good thing for schools.  Leyden Has Student Teacher Time (STT), where students can get help with whatever they need but this is only from 2:45pm to 3:10pm. Then you have to wait outside in the freezing cold weather, waiting for a ride because you can’t wait in the building. 

However, deans and security worry about the safety of students. If something was to happen to a student at school.  then the school could be sued for it. Security and Deans want the best for us, but is it really the best? Students need a place to work when they have too much going on at home. A place to relax and calm down for the day. They aim to protect us everyday but they have to take different precautions. Mr. Rush, a security guard here at Leyden says, “It is to make sure you guys the students are safe everyday so you can go home to your mom and dad”. They didn’t decide that- the deans did because of behavior issues in the past. Dean Hernadez said, “Student safety is the top priority here at Leyden. So to make sure that all students are safe.” Maybe we don’t agree with everything the dean’s say but they do care about us and make sure we are safe and they can return us back to our parents at the end of the day. 

Students want an open campus so they can be with their friends and they want to be in the cafe or library. At 2:40pm as of Nov 19th , 2024,  they need to go home unless they are staying for STT or a sport. Deans and security enforce this rule everyday. It’s not just Leyden though.  For example California does this:  “California law, however, gives school districts strong protections against liability.” (Herandez). Now it may only be a law in California but Illinois sort of follows this law but there is not a law in place at the moment. Chicago WTTW wrote an article that states that “Having this program opens the doors for parents to know their child has a safe haven: somewhere to go and be supervised and get help with homework,” says Elizabeth Childs, a  program manager for an after-school program at Haley Academy Elementary School operated in partnership with the YMCA. This shows an open campus after school where students can relax and do homework is a good thing and a good option for parents who don’t have child care or no friends or family members to help them out. The problem is, you need money to staff and hire extra security.  Good news is that “lawmakers have approved $50 million for afterschool and summer programs, but the funding has not reached schools yet. When the bill was passed, Eric Werge, who oversees community programming for the YMCA, said this funding was intended to help stabilize after-school programs throughout the state.  So when the $50 million was passed we were so excited because we saw it as a game changer” (Child) So we hope for change and hope that this $50 million actually helps students all across the state. This is important for students to have because “According to a report published last fall by EAB, an education consulting firm, 84 percent of teachers said that “students are developmentally behind in self-regulation and relationship building” in comparison to students prior to the pandemic” (Child). This open campus law could engage students to have a relationship with the building and staff and help with more development.  

In conclusion, the closed campus policy at West Leyden aims to prioritize student safety, but it also limits personal freedom and social opportunities. Students just want to chill and relax but it comes with safety issues. For now we here at Leyden will have a closed campus. Unless someone decided to push for an open campus after school.