Hershey High School offers its juniors and seniors a coveted “flexible” study hall, which allows them to either come in late or leave school early. However, this study hall is offered on an “all-or-nothing” basis.
Students who receive one or more of these study halls are required to use it for the entirety of its offering or lose the ability to leave early or come in late at all. The current regulations surrounding the program offer no flexibility to the schedules of students and families.
What do students need in order to leave early or come in late? Transportation. Although most juniors and seniors can legally obtain their driver’s licenses, owning a vehicle is often economically demanding.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, 103,517 PA teens (aged 16-17) were licensed as of 2023. However, Forbes Magazine reports that only 37% of U.S. households owned two vehicles in the previous year.
With most families having access to only one vehicle—most likely used by their parents for work commutes—where does that leave HHS students? According to a news release from The United States Department of labor, 80% of families in the U.S have at least one employed member in their household. Thus, car access can be a struggle.
You might assume that students who do not have, or cannot afford, a vehicle would still be able to benefit in some way from this program. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
At the start of each marking period, students are required to sign off declaring whether or not they will use their study hall. If they sign off on using it, they must use it daily. If they sign off that they will not use it, they will never be able to come in early or leave late.
Currently, students who do not leave the school are placed in the cafeteria, which is less than a fourth of the way full. It is evident that there is room for the students who can not leave everyday, so why are the regulations still so strict?
One theory is that attendance would become more difficult seeing as several students would all have different schedules. A possible remedy to this issue would be to offer students a google form similar to that of library lunch sign up. Before each week students would be required to share what days they are leaving, and what days they are staying at the school.
It is imperative that Hershey High School reconsiders the regulations surrounding this program. These study halls are a privilege that provides several students with benefits, including more hours of sleep and more time for after-school activities. All HHS students, regardless of financial status and ability, should be able to participate.
