by Brialan Dolan

This year, Scott High School has implemented a requirement for all students to use lockers.

This new rule makes it mandatory for all students to place their backpacks in their lockers throughout the day. This has caused various mixed opinions across the board. The lockers in the hallways have been out of use for many years. They have collected dust and grime over the years of disuse. Many students state that they believe lockers shouldn’t be necessary.

“I think that they’re fun if you make them fun. But I think they’re too close together,” said Zoey Chambers, Scott High School Junior.

Many students have reported their lockers to be either too close together, small for their things, dirty, or broken in some way. A few lockers don’t even have locks on them, forcing the owners of those lockers to go out and buy larger locks to keep their items safe.

Many students have the opinion that the school should either give them a set time in the day to clean their
lockers, or staff should have done maintenance on them over summer break, knowing they would
be put back to use.

“Opening is kind of hard. It gets stuck a lot and hurts my fingers. I also don’t have any hooks in my locker. It’s really gross, and the bottom of my backpack looks dirty,” said Josie Green, Scott High School Junior.

Students have also stated that lockers have caused them to be tardy for their classes, especially since hallways are typically cramped and hard to access. When a large number of students are at their lockers, it makes the hallways harder to navigate, which also causes students to be tardy.

They say that most of the time teachers are understanding about this situation, especially since this
is the first year lockers have been required in a long time. Teachers have stated that they like the
new requirement of lockers. They believe it clears up walkways easier, so that the floor isn’t just
full of backpacks.

“My locker gets stuck, and then I’m late to class. But then, I just tell them my locker got
stuck. The thing’s all sticky; I can’t turn it around,” said Green.

Students have also reported being wary about leaving potentially important or expensive
items in their lockers compared to being on their person. When they keep their backpacks on
them, it makes them feel that their items are safe and accounted for. In comparison, if they were
in lockers, anyone could break into them and take anything. People also report that it is easier to
keep track of their items if they can keep them in their backpacks, and it is easier to carry things
on their backs compared to in their arms.

“Lockers were safe during Middle school, but also anybody could get in your locker if
they just asked the office to open it up, which is what I was saying in middle school too, but it
hasn’t happened,” Chambers said.