Students at Southern Lehigh have adapted nicely to the new block schedule, and classes have been running smoothly as students enter the fifth month of the school year. However, one problem still remains: students who have first block study hall or last block study hall feel as if it is unnecessary to have to go to them.

“Students get bored easily because most homework doesn’t take 77 minutes,” senior Jake Fizer said. “ After that you have nothing to do.”

With the new block schedule, classes are now almost an hour and a half long. Many students feel as if it is a waste of time to sit there in a silent study hall for that long. Students should be able to sleep in or get ahead start on their afternoon.

“I either sleep or do homework in my first block study hall,” senior Troy Reppert said. “Staying home would give students the chance to be with their families or study in a more comfortable environment.”

At many other schools in the Lehigh Valley, students have privileges to go out to eat at lunch or choose to be involved in something that is more productive than a study hall. Southern Lehigh students do not have any privileges like this.  Why not?

Faculty are not sure if this would even be allowed because of stricter security measures and concerns of liability. Students and staff have been limited to what doors they use, and students are restricted on what time they are allowed into the building.

Math teacher Mr. Matt Greenawald said this issue has been discussed many times.

“As a teacher, [I think] if a student’s grades are good, they should be able to leave for their study hall,” he said, “but students are obligated to be in school, and there are many liabilities that come with students leaving.”

For many students, study hall is time spent looking over social media websites or playing games, but administration believes it is a productive time for others. When students are in study hall, they have the opportunity in the longer 77-minute periods to make up work and study for any upcoming tests.

“Advantages to a study hall are to get ahead of homework or studying,” junior Nick Hook said.  “It is a way to do homework in case you forgot to do it the night before and a place where you can compare answers and ask for help from friends.”

Students should be given options instead of study hall, enabling them to make more of their own choices and have the opportunity to engage in more of a college-like atmosphere.