Jefferson High School is responsible for maintaining safe, efficient, and instructionally focused learning environments while balancing student supervision, classroom management, and daily operational procedures. To help with this charge, Jefferson High School introduced the use of the Securly Digital Hall Pass System to replace traditional hall pass methods such as paper passes or verbal permission. The intended goals of implementation were to improve student accountability, increase visibility into student movement patterns, support school safety procedures, and reduce unnecessary classroom disruptions. By digitizing student movement requests, the school sought to create a more consistent and trackable system for managing when and where students leave instructional spaces. However, despite these intended benefits, school leadership identified concerns regarding inconsistent implementation across classrooms.
Preliminary observations suggested that while some faculty members used the system regularly, others relied on alternative methods or used the platform only selectively. This inconsistency raised important operational and instructional questions regarding system adoption, staff expectations, and the extent to which the platform had been effectively integrated into classroom routines.
To verify the identification of our clients expressed need, we conducted a needs assessment in the form of anonymous surveys distributed to teachers and leadership personnel to gather insight on their system usage and perceptions of the platform. This approach allowed our team to better understand how the system was experienced in practice, what barriers existed, and what organizational supports may be needed to improve long-term implementation.
Once we collected all necessary data, the analysis began. During the analysis phase we sought to understand what was causing the gap in teachers not using the Securly platform consistently in their classrooms.
Findings
Our analysis revealed four types of barriers that prevented consistent use of the platform:
Teachers felt the system disrupted instruction.
The process doesn't align with real classroom routines or timing.
The platform froze or failed to load.
Students don't always have laptops out or available when needing to leave the room.
Dead batteries or stored devices make Securly inaccessible at times.
Expectations for use were unclear.
Implementation wasn’t monitored or reinforced.
Teachers lacked feedback on their usage patterns.
Recommendations
To help solve these issues, we recommended several immediate and long-term solutions:
Immediate Recommendations
1. Quick Troubleshooting Job Aid
Provide a simple job aid outlining steps for resolving common issues (e.g., Wi‑Fi problems, system loading failures) so teachers feel confident troubleshooting and can maintain consistent use.
2. Install Kiosk Chromebooks in Classrooms
Place a dedicated Chromebook in each classroom for hall pass requests. This ensures access even when student devices are put away, unavailable, or not charged.
3. Increase Leadership Feedback
Share weekly or biweekly usage data with teachers to highlight patterns, reinforce expectations, and acknowledge appropriate use. Data can be shared through Google Sheets and communicated via email or in person.
Long-term Recommendations
1. Redesign Securly Integration into Classroom Workflow
Facilitate collaboration among leadership, teachers, and students to define realistic expectations that align with everyday classroom routines. Document and communicate these expectations clearly.
2. Standardize Leadership Accountability Systems
Establish and communicate consistent expectations and consequences for Securly usage. Include these policies in the Teacher Handbook and reinforce them during preplanning. Consider incentives and recognition for consistent compliance.
3. Analyze and Share Data for Support
Create protocols for reviewing and sharing student movement data to support teachers, not just enforce compliance. Use consistent tools (e.g., Google Sheets) across administrators to streamline communication and follow‑up.
I contributed to the development of the data collection tools by creating survey questions, participated in the analysis of results, the generation of recommendations, and co‑authored the final report.