Only seniors will be able to depart OPHS campus during lunchtime

By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

The Oak Park Unified School District Board unanimously voted last week to limit long-term off-campus passes to seniors only.

"As of September 2005, the privilege to get off-campus will be for seniors only," said OPUSD Superintendent Anthony Knight. The passes, he added, will only be issued to seniors who abide by rules

––and there will be no warning or second chances.

"If a student chooses not to follow the rules, the permit will be revoked for the rest of the school year," he said.

The idea came from Lynn McCormack, Oak Park High School principal, who said she was concerned that someone could get hurt during the lunchtime rush and that students were tardy returning to class.

Other area schools allow seniors off-campus privileges, and McCormack made every effort to inform students about this matter, said the board.

Freshman Curtis Croft isn’t convinced the change will be a good idea. He told the board that it was odd to compare larger high schools to Oak Park, which has only 1,200 students.

"Instead of proposing this, make kids abide by the rules," he said.

Although they were sympathetic, the trustees didn’t change their minds.

However, newly appointed school board president Mary Rees told Croft that students have the entire spring to show the board that traffic issues can be resolved. The board, she added, could reconsider the issue at a later time if students are successful showing this.