According to the Franklin High School Student Handbook and Climate Guide, “Students must remain in class during the first 15 minutes and the last 15 minutes of each period. Hall passes are not permitted during this time.” This rule is commonly known as the 15 Minute Rule. Most students at Franklin are aware of the 15 Minute Rule but the reason behind it is relatively unknown, which makes many students believe it to be useless.
“[The rule] seems pointless when you think [about] it,” said one student. Many students have this view, as it is frustrating to be told to wait until the bell to use the restrooms, which are often extremely crowded during passing periods. If they decide not to go then, students are once again told to wait 15 more minutes: a long time if the need to go feels like an emergency.
When asked what they believed the rule was for, most students didn’t seem to believe it was for anything substantially important. One anonymous student reported thinking it was “so people [are] not wandering the halls [or] going to lunch early.” Another thought it was to “yell at kids in the halls for being late/skipping,” and other respondents believed it was meant to help secure the building or prevent fights.
Though the 15 Minute Rule can help these issues, they are not the main reason for it. The main reason for the rule is to help students with medical issues, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations, and those in Franklin’s special education classes. As Principal Chris Frazier explained, in addition to making it easier for teachers to take attendance and start class, it also makes it easier for staff to deliver emergency messages and most importantly helps in “making sure that we can be a community that is supporting all of our students and staff, versus just those that are able-bodied and able-minded.” He elaborated further, saying that the students and staff at Franklin who this rule helps are able to leave class early to avoid crowded hallways during passing periods. Whether a student has, as Frazier says, “a wheelchair, crutches, or something else, the [15 Minute Rule] gives them safe passage to and from classrooms.”
Without knowledge of the reasons behind it, many students wish the rule didn’t exist. But, while it may be frustrating to be told you must wait until passing periods to use the restroom, this rule is important for many students and staff. Frazier did say there are extenuating circumstances that students can work out with teachers, but those few students do not cause any significant problems. The problem arises when “students have been released [early] and as a result, we can’t clear the hallways to the extent in which we would want,” he explained. This increases the likelihood of emergencies and makes it difficult for students and staff who are traveling between classes. Although the 15 Minute Rule may seem pointless on the surface, in reality it is extremely important for many people in Franklin’s community and needed to help Franklin function as a whole.
