Effective today, hallway sweeps will be conducted at Niles West in efforts to keep students in class. All students are expected to be carrying a hall pass with them when not in the classroom during class time. If a student is stopped in the hallway without an official pass from his or her teacher, they can be issued an hour-long detention.

According to Dean Tim Dykes, “It’s just about keeping kids in class, which is the purpose for being here in the first place, and keeping everybody safe.”

This directive is nothing new to Niles West, but because of COVID, it hadn’t been implemented since the school went remote.

“The rule has always been in existence, but there needs to be a little bit more of a focus on the enforcement of it,” Dykes said.

Dykes mentioned that the current freshmen and sophomore students are only now experiencing their first year of high school, and along with a change in academic rigor, there are different rules and expectations.

“We understand that there’s times that you need to use the restroom, you need to go do certain things, but we just want people to have a pass while they’re in the hallways so that we know here’s where you’re going, here’s where you’re coming from,” Dykes said.

In the case that a student does not have a pass on them while in the hallway, they may be directed back to class or receive a detention. Detentions can be served in room 2035 either before or after school in what’s called the RPC, or Restorative Practices Center. If a student is not able to serve his or her detention before or after school, they may come for one hour during the three-hour Saturday detentions.

“It’s a respect thing, right? When students walk into class late, it disrupts the class, it disrupts the students in the class, it disrupts the teacher. Everyone’s here to get an education. We understand that people want to have fun too, but, you know, there’s a time and place for that,” Dykes said.