It’s the talker at Millard North High School, the time between classes.
Last year the school gave students 7 minutes in between classes but this year it's just 5 minutes because the construction is over with and students can use a hallway on the second floor to get from one side of the school to the other.
But some students tell KMTV it's not enough time.
“They suck,” bluntly said Allysia Campana a sophomore at Millard North High School.
“I have to walk faster, it's really hard,” said Millard North High School freshman Fady Morcous.
“It's not enough time to use the restroom and like go back because the school they have class from one end of the school to the other,” said student Ashlyn Mendoza.
Millard North students don’t hold back when asked their opinions on new 5-minute passing period between classes.
“I didn't realize how much that two extra minutes during the passing period could actually help because you have time to go to your locker or do some stuff you needed to do,” said Holden Harrison.
Because of these concerns, a group of students started a petition to change back the time to 7-minutes, the interest in it exploded.
“I didn't think it would get to 14-hundred over in the span of 3-4 days,” said Addison Stugart, one of the creators of the petition.
Stugart felt like she needed to do something to help the student body because so far this year many students are showing up to class late.
“There's some teachers still where they get frustrated if you're late to class they kind of take it out on your if they really shouldn't,” said Stugart.
KMTV wanted to compare other metro school districts and their times in between class.
The Omaha Public Schools, Westside Community Schools, Papillion-La Vista Public Schools, Bellevue Public Schools all have 5-minutes between classes whereas Elkhorn is 4-minutes.
The Millard Public School District responded to KMTV saying—
“Two Millard high schools have made changes to their passing period time this year. The goal for both is the same – to increase instructional time and to minimize hallway disruptions. Change is always challenging, especially in the first days of school, and our principals ask any students who may be struggling to talk with them so they can problem-solve together.
Millard South has had inconsistent passing periods with some being six minutes and some being seven minutes. They have all been standardized to six minutes. The principals tested the time, leaving class fifty seconds after the bell, walking at a normal pace from the farthest room to the north to the farthest room to the south and arrived well before the bell.
Millard North had seven minutes between classes last year. With the new addition and the second floor connecting hallway under construction, the discussion began last year with student council and teachers to see if the changes in building flow could accommodate a shorter passing period. The year has begun with five minute passing periods that increases instructional time and also eases the pressure on lunchroom congestion. The principals timed the walk at a normal pace from the farthest points of the building during class change and arrived with plenty of time to spare. They encourage students to remember to use the new second floor connecting hallway, and they continue to monitor the hallway flow,” said MPS spokeswoman Rebecca Kleeman.
This is a link to the petition:
