In the wake of the school shooting on Feb. 9, safety policies were tightened overnight with locked doors, restricted movement and stricter hallway rules meant to protect students. While these measures aim to prevent tragedy, they create unintended consequences inside classrooms. 

The new advisory and lunch structure states that during advisory, students may not leave their homeroom classroom without a specific pass, and during lunch, students aren’t allowed in teachers’ rooms or on the second floor. One growing concern is the impact of these no-roaming policies during advisory and lunch, which prevent students from freely moving through the halls, making it harder for them to meet with teachers for extra help. For students, especially those already struggling academically, losing access to quick, informal support can turn safety rules into barriers to success.

Freshman Aviana Gupta said that not being able to meet with her teachers is taking away time before a big test or quiz that she might need to ask questions so she can prepare properly. Although not all students may be affected by this change, students like Gupta had big tests around the corner. Gupta said, “It can [impact] students’ grades because [they lose] the time they had to go and see the teachers they need to see.”

Gupta said she would like to see lunch and advisory go back to the way it was, as she feels that the way school is scheduled right now, days feel a bit gloomy. Gupta said, “Give students chances to connect with their friends, which [allows] a fun and balanced day.”

Sophomore Alex Brennan said students are resorting to AI to answer their questions rather than going to teachers for help. Brennan said students won’t truly understand the concept if they keep using AI. Brennan said, “I think that yes, not being able to see your teachers during advisory can set kids back and due to this lack of knowledge, the students resort to using AI and more sneaky methods to get their desired grade.”

Students resorting to using AI can result in incorrect answers due to the fact that teachers are looking for specific words from the in-class notes that AI won’t know. The University of Maryland’s University Libraries said, “AI also often generates misinformation. Oftentimes, the answers produced by AI will be a mixture of truth and fiction. If you are using AI-generated text for research, it will be important to be able to verify its outputs.”

Senior Shreyas Ganeshan said that not being able to take tests and quizzes during lunch and advisory has affected his mental health. Ganeshan said, “Taking quizzes early definitely affects my sleep. If I have to come to school earlier, take a quiz, I need to come to school 30 minutes earlier.”

Sophomore Anjali Sayal said when she went on the second floor for an event she had planned, she felt pressured to go downstairs immediately. Sayal said, “I went upstairs for my friend’s FBLA event. There was security and teachers everywhere; it was kinda overwhelming.”

In the wake of the Feb. 9 school shooting, the school has also implemented stricter safety policies such as locked doors, limited hallway access, and the installation of additional cameras. While these measures were designed to increase security, they have also changed how students interact with teachers during the school day. As a result, safety protocols intended to address immediate risks have altered daily academic routines, including how and when students can seek extra help from teachers. Riann Wilson said, “Teachers can make such a profound impact on our lives and should be honored.”