Fights result in passing time change

Following the series of fights on Oct. 17, HHS administration has instituted a reduction of students’ passing time from eight to five minutes.

Mr. Doug Bullinger, principal, explained the administration’s reasoning to implement this consequence. He referred to a similar policy following the string of fights before Winter Break in 2015, emphasizing its effectiveness.

In response to this change, London Lowmanstone IV, senior, started a petition via change.org to reinstate the longer passing time.

In the petition’s description, Lowmanstone noted an understanding of administration’s rationale, but highlighted passing time’s communal value.

“Part of what makes Hopkins so great is our community,” Lowmanstone said. “The 8 minutes passing time in between classes gives students to talk to one another, to become closer friends, and to make Hopkins a stronger community and a better place to be.”

As of Oct. 19, the petition has received 79 signatures, 21 away from its goal of 100.

In order to revert the passing time, Bullinger hopes to see behavioral change amongst the entire student body.

“I’m hoping we can go back to our original passing time, but as of right now it’s a day to day process,” Bullinger said. “What I’m looking for is a decrease in students coming down to the office due to social media issues.”