What Do Students Think About the New 5-Star System?

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photo by Mill

This year, students have to type in their ID numbers into the 5-star system in order to leave class.

by Millie Damasceno, Entertainment Editor

This school year, the Anaheim Union High School District  introduced a new system for when students need to use the restroom or leave class. The rule is that in order to leave class, you must enter your student ID into the 5-Star system so security and staff know you left and where you are. However, only 25 students total are allowed to be out at once, and you can only leave for eight minutes max. This new rule is somewhat controversial, as some students feel controlled by it, while others feel like it’s necessary for the safety of the students. It may feel as though staff are invading our privacy since if you take longer than eight minutes, they might come check on you and walk you back to class, but it’s also important to know where students are in case of an emergency. These two arguments cause most people’s opinions to fall somewhere in between.

One senior said: “I feel like it’s unnecessary, I prefer how there were less rules last year such as when the dress code was more open, seniors could leave during lunch if they wanted to eat somewhere, and when you just had to ask the teacher if you wanted to use the restroom. Now it feels a little like a prison.”

The 5-Star system is also notorious for its technical issues, as many times it will glitch and delete your hall pass before the time is up. This can also cause problems between students and staff since if your hall pass is deleted, you are technically not allowed to be out of the classroom. 

Overall, the idea of knowing where students are when they’re not in the classroom is reasonable, but can also come off as invasive to those who aren’t used to it, and only time will tell if this new feature will become a regular routine here at Cypress High.