Here at Freedom, once the bell rings, you have exactly 5 minutes to get to your next class, no matter where your next class is, 5 minutes is all you get.

A couple of years ago, at this very same school, passing period used to be 7 minutes. However, in recent years some changes and adjustments have been made and that time has since been cut down to 5 minutes.

“I don’t think 5 minutes is enough time because some people have to walk greater lengths across the school to get to class or go to the bathroom in between.” Junior Alyssa Grasso said.

There is just not enough passing period time anymore, especially for those who have to walk across the entire campus in 5 minutes or less. Going to the bathroom or catching up with friends in between classes is a thing of the past.
However, while most students would say that 5 minutes is not nearly enough time, the faculty and staff might disagree, and some for good reason and intentions.

“I was here when we had 6 minutes and everyone was just lingering around and the bell would ring, then they would run to class. They would take advantage of it in a bad way.” AP Mathew Smith said. “5 is just enough time, and if you need to go to the bathroom, you can always get a teachers pass to go to the bathroom.”

Students should not abuse the time we get in between classes, however with that in mind, so many teachers now only let students out a couple times a semester/quarter, and some don’t allow it at all. Students should not have to rely on whether their teacher will let them go to the bathroom or not, just because they had no time to in between classes. 5 minutes is cutting it short, and I think with more time in between classes, students can reset their heads for 6 or 7 minutes, do what they need to do, and jump back into class ready to learn.

“To walk from the English building to the 300 building and use the bathroom on top of that, in 5 minutes? It’s definitely not enough time.” Senior Destiny Nieves said.