On March 10th, a surprise fire alarm went off in James Madison High School a minute before period 3 ended due to a steam issue in the pool. As students were heading to the field for safety, the 4th period began. The incident stopped them from moving on to their fourth period class and all students were directed to the field.
Madison students also agree that what was equally as memorable as the surprise alarm, was the immensely congested walk toward the field, students stepping nearly shoulder to shoulder to one another in the humid building.
Students didn’t think much of it, they are used to the crowded hallways and cramped stairwells. However, the administration on the other hand believed a main source of the jammed hallways and confusion was due to the fact that students had already been dismissed from their gym classes 3-4 minutes before the first bell, leaving them without a teacher and class to follow during the alarm.
In Madison, it has become the norm that students are released from gym classes early, including the ones in the gyms, on the field, or in the pool area. This is to ensure students in gym classes can still get to their other classes on time, especially considering the fact that gym classes are typically in far proximity to other normal classes.
Madison students are now bearing the brunt of a new gym class dismissal policy. Principal Cohen announced that those who have a gym class must now leave on time with the rest of the student body.
This new change has led to an uproar amongst Madison students, many being focused on how it affects their ability to get to their next class on time.
One student, Paige Duff Sylvester (‘29), voiced her own grievances, stating “the trek from the pool to her next period class on the fifth floor has not been easy,” especially with how packed the staircases have been since enactment of this policy.
“It’s insane how packed staircase AB has gotten,” said Gabriel Mantuano (‘27) “It’s like there’s a 100 more kids in the hallways.” Staircase AB is the direct access to the the gyms of Madison as well as being used by other students commuting to class. In turn, the stairwell has become far more packed due to the students leaving their gym period or coming in from the second floor stairwell. It simply has not been possible for students to make it to their next period class within the 4 minutes between the first and second bell.
Teachers are also feeling the effects of this new policy, many seeing a decline in students arriving on time.
“I’ve certainly had more students walk into my class late, among them being students who are usually on time.” said Ms. Kovat, a junior law teacher.
With an increase of traffic in the halls and staircases, students arriving on time to their classes is out of the question. This cuts into much of the beginning of class, which is often necessary for understanding the rest of the lesson.
This is not to say that the administration’s concerns aren’t valid. In a real life scenario where Madison would have to evacuate due to a fire or some other incident, those released early may not be accounted for by their previous or next period teacher. These students would then be reported to the first responders on scene, in order for them to know they are also looking for missing students. This will reflect poorly on the school and can hinder the first responders from suppressing the fire as their first priority is rescue.
Moving forward, students hope the school administration can find a solution that allows students to both arrive on time to their classes as well as protect their safety and wellbeing.
