With the school year coming back into swing, students are beginning to adjust to the new policies that have been enacted over the summer. One of the most significant policies is the introduction of “Minga,” a digital hall pass software that aims to help Burroughs manage the number of students out of class at any one time.
“Ditch the chaos, embrace the future,” urges the company’s website. The Minga implementation comes in response to a need identified by the school’s cross-curricular Behavior Intervention group.
Generally, in the past, if a student wanted to leave class to use the restroom or go to the library, for example, the student would raise a hand and wait for the teacher to agree. The teacher would scrawl a signature on a written pass and the student would be excused. The teacher would resume the lesson until the next hand went up. With this new system, a student can generate a pass electronically and the teacher decides whether to approve it online, eliminating the need for the paper pass. Campus supervisors have a dashboard allowing them to monitor who is out on passes at any one time and whether students are where they are supposed to be or if they are out longer than they should be. The system automatically declines requests when too many students are already out on passes.
Although Minga is designed to assist students and teachers, many have been struggling with the challenges of adapting to the new technology. Some of the main struggles that students and teachers have faced so far include not being able to disable the bathroom passes, which can cause campus supervisors to have to check on the students’ locations.
“With any new technology, there is a learning curve as staff and students learn how to use it and adapt it to their daily routines,” said Assistant Principal Elijah Colpitts. He has sent out clarifying emails showing the process that should be followed.
Minga has been a polarizing experience. Some say that it is glitchy, while others have had no problems seamlessly transferring to the new electronic hall pass system.
“The software is super easy to get used to, even if it’s your first time using it,” said senior Savannah Fineg. “It’s simple and the layout makes it convenient to use for students.”
Some students have begun to prefer it to a physical pass. One benefit is the school’s ability to customize the system for a variety of uses, such as requesting a trip to the counselor, the library, or the drinking fountain.
Junior Audrey Huyen says she appreciates the convenience.
“Instead of explaining where we need to go, we just submit a pass,” said Huyen.
Though Minga has been a struggle to adjust to, overall, the rollout is making a difference, with school administrators and teachers now able to track the number of times students leave class and the amount of instructional time being lost.
“There were a couple of technology hiccups to start the year, but I think that most of it has been smoothed out,” said Colpitts. “Minga is up and running at full capacity now. There were some understandable frustrations when things did not work properly, but we have been able to address all of them easily, and the positives outweigh the negatives by far.”
