Last week, Fountain Valley High School administration decided to begin enforcing a rule that required students not involved in a school sanctioned activity to be off campus by 3:30 p.m. Students seen to be within the school gates without without a specified school activity will be asked by supervision to wait outside the gates for their rides or to leave campus.
Legally after school students are supposed to immediately go home or go to their activity with adult supervision. Without adult supervision, some students have no reason to be at school any longer. The issue arises from acts of vandalism, skateboarding on campus and bothering custodians trying to do their job. However, some students on campus after that time do not have malicious intent and are now required to leave.
“My friends and I were just here doing a project when we were asked to leave,” said Vivian Ta (’15). “I don’t mind the rule much, but we just wished we had tables to work on. We weren’t there with bad intentions.”
Students have 30 minutes to gather their belongings, speak to teachers or friends and be off campus unless with a school sanction event such as clubs, sports or specified meetings with teachers. Many students are already off campus by 3:30 p.m. and are not affected by the new rule. Yet, there are still a handful of students who are unable to go home or usually stay after school that now have to be off campus.
“I stopped staying after school after the new rule so now I just leave early,” said Dan Tran (’16). “It’s pretty fair, I guess, because students shouldn’t be doing anything else.”
The regulation has been an ongoing rule statewide that requires students to leave promptly after school dismal. However, with Assistant Principal of Supervision Eva White’s recent ascent to her position this year, the rule was decided to be enforced more strongly. For those who must be on campus or are serving detentions, the administration office does allow students to wait inside the office until they close at 4 p.m.
“It’s not about being mean to kids or about get off my campus,” said White. “What I want people to understand is that it’s not a negative thing, it’s a positive thing in that sense. If a kid needs help or if their ride is coming late, [the office] closes at four no matter what, but we’ve allowed people to sit up here.”
