Every morning at 7:30am students are allowed to enter the building. The thing is these students are required to wait outside or in the lobby of the school. There are many factors on how this is and can pose many potential issues.
Personally, I ride the bus to school most days and we arrive at school around 7:10 a.m -7:15 a.m. Since my freshman year, without fail, the doors have opened at exactly 7:30 a.m. This means I have to wait outside for 15-10 minutes to be let into the school despite the weather conditions. This can be a major problem because as we all know Nebraska has the most differentiating weather ever. For example on March 5, 2025, Bellevue Public Schools canceled school due to inclement weather. During the following week on March 12, 2025 the temperature was a high of 72 degrees. This shows just how unpredictable the weather can be each day and students like me cannot be comfortable waiting outside.According to the National Weather Service, in Nebraska, Winter conditions can reach the negatives and wind speeds can reach 58 mph. Believe it or not, sometimes we actually have school on these days and if I don’t get in the lobby before everyone else does, I’m doomed. Students are forced to find an alternative way to enter the school, such as through one of the side doors.. If students are taking steps (despite the weather) to wait inside because they are uncomfortable, I think that is a sign that students should be let in earlier. As the old saying goes Actions speak louder than words.
Sometimes East lets you wait inside the lobby, but between all the buses and students who arrive early there is no room to fit. If you do manage to get into the lobby, then you face a huge problem with crowding. Being stuck next to another person for 15-20 minutes, shoulder to shoulder can feel uncomfortable for some and for others just straight up claustrophobic. This also becomes a huge problem for substitute teachers to access the building because of the amount of students in the lobby. Students have experienced a lot of physical interactions because of this issue. This is a problem on so many levels because diseases are prominent, especially during the winter time. According to Mayo Clinic, disease spread due to direct transfer of bacteria and viruses or other germs from one person to another. Students with allergens are put in harm too. If a student decides to eat a snack in the lobby that another student is allergic to, it can become a problem real fast. Some reactions to allergies require fast action and if an incident happens in the lobby and it’s overcrowded, that student can be in danger. Some students talk about being hit and shoved numerous times; while physical contact might start out as accidental, it can be a fuel for fights between students.
The easiest solution is allowing students to be in the school earlier. We can use places like the north/south gym or cafeteria because they are confined spaces, and easy places to keep students organized. We can use bleachers to allow students to sit down. Janitors and faculty that are required to be in the school around the same time as students arrive could monitor hallways, etc. Practices for ROTC, basketball, and other sports can occupy one of the three gyms in the school and the one remaining can hold students who arrive before school starts. Despite the worry that students will wander around the school and participate in un-approved activities, those students don’t speak for the numerous students who are tired of having to deal with the many issues that come with waiting to be let in. Students who need to come in for school related activities can go through the front considering that other students will be in the gym. Another solution would be for certain seasons or weather conditions students are let in at least ten minutes earlier or we should start delaying school certain amounts of time. For example, Omaha Public Schools delays school up to two hours if there is inclement weather. We could provide bus drivers and students who ride the bus with a delayed schedule at the beginning of the year. This is an ongoing problem that needs to be addressed, students are uncomfortable and as a school we should care about our student bodies well-being.
