Panic: the emotion that swept the nation on November 22, 2021, thundering down on all unsuspecting students. 

The deluge of little pink slips caused quite a stir in the Liberty community—some curse their existence to the deepest level of the inferno, while others hail them as the latrine messiah.  

So which is it? Are they beneficial? Should they be banished from campus for good? Or would a few structural changes be better?  

“The passes are a great tool to keep our students and staff safe, track student movement, and keep students in the learning environment,” an anonymous Liberty teacher said.  

Although there is good, as 17% of the Liberty population upholds, there are simply too many shortcomings to the practice.*

“The passes interrupt teachers’ work time,” another Liberty faculty member said. “I think they are a source of embarrassment after hearing some kids whisper, ‘I hate the passes.’”

The bathroom passes aim to prevent loitering students, conspicuous bathroom activities, and class detractions, but they fall short of truly making a difference. Many teachers agree that their impact and efficacy are lackluster because they’re time-consuming and take away valuable instruction time. 

“Hallway noise is still a problem, and students who want to leave class will leave class whether they have a pass or not,” science teacher Kaela Yuen said. 

So why keep the passes if the passes fail to make a difference? For one, they aim to help students focus academically. But the lack of success in accomplishing this goal is evident in students’ negative experiences with the passes. 

Students have expressed their feelings in various ways, with the dominating sentiment being one of general dislike.

“This inhumane policy limits my education because I’m distracted in class thinking about how I can’t use the bathroom,” one Liberty student said. “But it has also caused me a lot of stress having to repress my natural needs and rights.”

Besides being cumbersome, bathroom passes arise as ethically questionable. Students should not have to choose between using the bathroom or getting extra-credit points on an assignment (because, yes, that’s one incentive a surprising amount of teachers are using to limit restroom breaks).

The consensus seems to be directed in one direction: change. They need to go. I think most students would agree that the Liberty administration wanting to know where students are isn’t an unreasonable demand. But it makes us wonder why we can’t use other efficient methods like a simple QR code or a classic sign out sheet. 

*according to a survey of 40  Liberty students and teachers