Minga is a new hall pass program put in place by the administration at SHS for the 2024-2025 school year. But is it really beneficial? The Leaf investigates.

After using Minga for several weeks, students have learned the routine; pull out their laptops, click the tiny home button, select the blue “M” icon, choose “bathroom,” enter the teacher’s name, and finally, ask the teacher for permission. As they raise their hand(s) to communicate the pending dismissal, it is easy to wonder why this program is now part of their daily lives.

   Minga, a management platform created to improve security and accountability in schools, has been introduced into SHS by the administration for the 2024-2025 school year. Students, faculty members, teachers, and administrators are all trying their best to incorporate the new program into the school day. However, there are noticeably many mixed opinions about the platform.

“We are supposed to know where you are; if we don’t, it’s a problem,” says Mr. Crotty, SHS English teacher. Mr. Crotty played a key role in integrating the platform and piloted the Minga program. He suggests that Minga is supposed to help teachers and administrators navigate the who, what, where, when, and why in the hallways. The extra safety measures that Minga provides are extremely beneficial to knowing the whereabouts of students during emergencies and even when necessary during a normal school day. 

   Other teachers appreciate phasing out physical passes, which force them to pause their teaching temporarily. Mr. Whapham, the SHS acting/tech teacher, said, “I like that we no longer have to write out restroom passes to each and every student who asks during a bell period, allowing us to save time for instruction.” Above all, Minga saves time that could be used for valuable learning. 

   Many SHS students, however, are against the new platform. “I think it is restrictive; you still have to ask your teachers to go to the restroom,” said Clarissa Ramirez, 12. “Additionally,” said Ramirez, “if it really was a problem with someone being out for too long, the teachers should be able to identify it on their own.” SHS students agree that taking out their computers and filling out the form “wastes more time than the platform saves by timing us.”

   Furthermore, some students believe that Minga is, simply stated, annoying and inefficient.“You’re telling me I have to fill out a whole form just to use the restroom?” said Mia Cecilio, 10. There are also situations where a student would not have time to use Minga or take longer than the time limit in an emergency, which could potentially get them in trouble with the teacher or administration. 

   Although Minga may serve to be beneficial in some cases, it is also evident that it can be inconvenient; fully embedding Minga into our school lives may cause potential issues.

   Nonetheless, at least for now, students must adapt to remaining several clicks away from the restroom.