This year the KO Middle School faculty changed the study hall rules much to the dismay of the students, especially the eighth-graders.
The two major changes are that students in the Middle School are no longer allowed to wear headphones during study hall and are also assigned to specific rooms.
Head of Middle School Ann Sciglimpaglia said that these rules are in place to keep track of and benefit all of the students. “One, assigned study halls are for faculty to be able to keep track of children and to make sure we know where everyone is,” she said. “Part of it is safety, part of it is being more organized, and part of it is being more prepared for freshman year with assigned study halls with no choices.” She also wanted students in study halls to simply disconnect from outside disruptions for a moment.
“Headphones make a distraction and [don’t] let students get work done,” she said. “When I walk into a room with everyone wearing headphones it makes me feel like we aren’t a community. It seems we are not caring what others say.”
One exception to the new headphone rule is that students may use them if they have an assigned video or language lesson.
Eighth-grade students do not believe a ban for listening to music should be the case. “Headphones block all the noise around and also we should be able to go in any room we want with any people we want to,” eighth-grader Devin Wolff said.
Returning students have noticed the difference because of how drastically the rules have changed and have some ideas for improvement.
“We should make it so there are rooms where you can talk or rooms that are quiet along with having headphones on,” Devin said.
Since music helps many students relax during study halls and focus on their homework, should this rule have been put in place? The Kingswood Oxford Middle School students say no.
