On Wednesday, Jan. 22 security announced that students were not allowed to walk upstairs or roam the building until 7:45, leaving many confused and frustrated.

“It’s very annoying,” said Karina Brizuela ‘27. “I have class on the higher floors in the morning and I get to school really early. It doesn’t give me time to prepare.”

The lobby now tends to become very crowded, hindering students from having a productive morning. 

“There’s so many people in the lobby that it gets a little cramped,” said Leslie Guzman ‘25. “If I have work left to do it kind of disrupts that.”

The new policy has prompted students to change their at-home and before-school habits, particularly for those who use the morning hours to finish up assignments.

“Normally I would finish up whatever work I have [in the morning] but I don’t get that opportunity so I go to bed later,” said Brizuela. “I don’t rest as much in the morning because there won’t be time to finish up leftover work [before school].”

After just two days of security enforcing this policy, new challenges have come to light.

“I feel like some kids may need a longer passing period because of all the traffic,” said Aaliyah Hernandez ‘28. “The morning is supposed to help us prevent that, now I worry about being late.”

Stairs have now become the biggest obstacle for certain students throughout the passing period.

“I face the stairs every morning. My classes are on the 5th and 6th floor of the new building,” said Hernandez ‘28. “It’s very hard for me to get up there in 10 minutes because it’s breathtaking.” 

The new policy disrupts students’ morning academic routines.

“If I have a meeting or if I had to make up a test early, it would disrupt that,” said Guzman. “It’s just very annoying especially if they don’t let you up, even with a reason.”

Students understand the security shortage and why the policy had to be implemented – but still disagree with the way security handled the issue.

“I understand where they are coming from with the security issue,” said Brizuela. “But I also feel like it’s not very helpful to the students, we would prefer just a guard on the floor if needed.” 

Security stopping students from heading to class makes students feel frustrated and unheard.

“It’s just really unfair,” said Guzman. “We come to school early to be productive, not to be stopped at the bottom of the stairs.”