Kaneland High School students and staff experienced the introduction of an electronic pass system at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year. The passes have received some updates throughout the year, and now that the first school year of this new policy has neared its end, administrators are making plans for the future of e-passes.

Instead of having written passes that are difficult to track, e-passes were introduced as a fully digitalized option. They can be tracked by the origin of the pass, a student’s destination and the time it took for the student to arrive at their destination. This school year has been used as a test year for e-passes to get an idea of the effectiveness of the new technology.

“I think e-passes have been effective so far in that we are able to pull data on how often students are leaving class and accessing different parts of the building, including the nurse’s office, library, restrooms and Student Services,” Principal Dr. James Horne said.

E-passes were originally designed during the summer by the technology department as a substitution for paper passes. Throughout the school year, e-passes have been continuously developed through the fixing of issues and the addition of new pass locations.

“We did put up some more devices so students could scan themselves in when they get to different areas, but the biggest thing is just getting people used to it,” Horne said.

E-passes have been met with mixed emotions. Some students and staff members like them, and others find them difficult to use.

“I’m not the biggest fan of e-passes. I feel like they serve no purpose from the alternative of just signing in and out on a bathroom sheet,” junior Wesley Hollis said.

E-passes will continue to be used during the 2023-24 school year and are being considered a permanent form of passes for the high school. E-passes will continue to be updated and changed, though, to meet the needs of any new issues that may arise.

“We are going to continue to move forward with [e-passes]. The routine of checking students in and out will get better [going into] the second year of doing it,” Horne said. “Some of the glitches within the system will be worked on by the technology department.”