By Jisele Garcia,
Co-Editor-in-Chief
There is a lack of transparency regarding TCHS’s administrative actions on campus between admin and the student body. While notified when and how campus changes are made, students are not given a reason why.
Student fear and confusion stem from ambiguity when not made aware of occurrences on campus, disrupting daily activities like getting to class on time or mistrusting school administration.
Providing an honest and simple explanation of major actions is helpful to students and parents who are affected by them. Inserting them alongside bulletin announcements, weekly newsletters or ParentSquare notices helps clear student frustration by virtue of their simplicity.
When an action is put in place without explanation, it causes confusion for the affected students. For example, at the beginning of the year, hallways were closed arbitrarily for several weeks, causing tardiness as many students were late to class due to the lengthy and congested commute from the new to old buildings. The cause of the situation was that the counselors relocated their items to the hallways because their floors were under renovation. Rampage found the reason through our own checking, while other students found out through rumors, not from the administration themselves.
No explanation of admin actions causes some students to worry about their studies or well-being on campus, as seen with recent false fire alarms. At first, students evacuated but then became accustomed to the false alarms and stayed in their classrooms. However, a real fire occurred in the boys’ bathroom, which filled the lunch shelter with smoke, but no alarm went off. Students and staff wonder about their safety with the inconsistencies of the alarms, especially when administrators have not communicated the resolution status of the issues.
Currently, campus supervisor numbers increased for no solid reason. School is supposed to be a place where students can commit to education without worrying about dangers on campus, so when figures of intimidation are placed on campus, some may feel concerned about their safety.
While some may not find it a serious problem, it’s generally good practice to be transparent. It helps establish trust and understanding between the administration and the groups they serve. The values taught in school are responsibility and honesty; school administrators must practice what they preach and deliver news as transparently as possible to their impressionable student body.