Stroudsburg High School has started a new online pass system called SmartPass.

SmartPass is an app/online website that allows students in the school to fill out timed passes.

Students start off by filling out a pass from their current classroom to the place they would like to travel to. They must send a pass to the teacher who will either accept or decline the pass. If the pass is accepted, the student is allowed a specific amount of time to take care of business. The length of time may vary depending on the reason for leaving the classroom.

SmartPass includes all the teachers in the high school.  They can write passes for students for a variety of reasons, such as traveling to the bathroom, another classroom, the library, the gym, and more.

Principal Mr. Jeffrey Sodl had been researching Smartpass for years. He is familiar with other schools that use the app and have found it useful and effective.

According to Sodl, the app helps keep track of who is in the halls and what people are in the same place at the same time — and sometimes should not be. 

“Knowing who is in the halls at any given time makes the school safer for the students,” said Sodl.

According to Sodl, SmartPass has already been very effective this year. It has helped with discipline issues such as bullying, skipping class, and vaping.

Science teacher Mr. James Bruski believes that SmartPass is a “good way of keeping track of people, students in the hall. It is somewhat inconvenient when not at the desk, but it keeps better track of people.”