It’s Friday in the second week of school. A student interested in getting a schedule change approaches a sign on the wall near the front office during lunch, phone in hand. In a few seconds, the student has scanned the QR code, and walks off to fill out and submit the form for review.  

“I don’t know the exact numbers, but it’s probably somewhere between 30 and 50,” science teacher Chris Gilmore said. “It’s a little frustrating when people’s schedules are getting changed six, seven, eight weeks into the semester. You’ve already established things with that student, and then they’re gone, or you get a new student.” 

Things may be frustrating for teachers, but junior Jovanna Palacios got her schedule changed as soon as possible.  

“I did it on time, so there were no problems,” Jovanna said. 

Jovanna believes the current system could be improved.  

“Maybe it could be faster, because it took me a week for my transfer to get approved and everything,” Jovanna said. 

English teacher Bryan Morgan also weighed in on the matter.  

“I understand sometimes the schedules have to be changed, and I understand that students don’t always like that,” Morgan said. “But I would like to see fewer changes.” 

Morgan had some things to say about the process itself. 

“In terms of students who want to make a change, I’m not that much involved in it, and so I don’t know too much about it,” Morgan said. “But I do think that students should have some input into the schedule change process. Especially if they’re in a class that they don’t want to be in, or there’s a class that they really want to be in.” 

Gilmore had some suggestions for the system regarding grades.  

“I think schedule changes, if we were notified that a kid was coming in, and if we had grades to go along with the transfers, it would make it a little bit easier,” Gilmore said. “I mean, sometimes the grades don’t always translate to the new class. But at least you have something to go on rather than a kid just showing up or disappearing.”