Hall pass
Encyclopedia
A hall pass is a pass or token used in American
and Canadian
public schools to show that a student has been authorized to be out of his/her classroom
while lesson
s are in progress. They are commonly issued to students if they need to visit the Toilet
, if they have been asked to run an errand for a faculty member, or if they need to see the school nurse. A student wishing to leave school for an off-site activity may also require a hall pass.
In some instances a school may have reusable hall passes for specific tasks, such as restroom breaks, which are handed as and when needed, and are returned to the teacher once the student has returned. In other cases, a hall pass may be written out specifically for a student requiring to leave the room, and disposed of afterwards.
Hall passes may be open ended: permitting students to be out of class until a task is completed, or time limited: granting a student only set period of time outside of the classroom. A variation on the concept of a hall pass is the hall pass timer manufactured by Stokes Publishing Company. This hall pass electronically times how long the student is gone so that both the teacher and the student can keep track of how long the student has been outside of the classroom.
Permanent hall passes may also be given to students who must regularly leave the classroom for a medical reason, or in order to attend club/sport activities.
In many cases, failure to carry a hall pass results in the student receiving detention or an alternative verbal/written punishment. It is usually the duty of a student or school employed hall monitor
to check for hall passes.
Hall passes can be cancelled in the event of a school security emergency (i.e., trespassers, fire alarms, or bomb threats.)
Common themes include:
In this context, requests for hall passes by hall monitors are also commonly used as allegory to police requests for ID.
Examples of this can be found in television shows such as Fillmore!
, South Park
, Codename: Kids Next Door
, Recess
, Ned's Declassified and Saved by the Bell
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
public schools to show that a student has been authorized to be out of his/her classroom
Classroom
A classroom is a room in which teaching or learning activities can take place. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, including public and private schools, corporations, and religious and humanitarian organizations...
while lesson
Lesson
A lesson is a structured period of time where learning is intended to occur. It involves one or more students being taught by a teacher or instructor...
s are in progress. They are commonly issued to students if they need to visit the Toilet
Toilet
A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...
, if they have been asked to run an errand for a faculty member, or if they need to see the school nurse. A student wishing to leave school for an off-site activity may also require a hall pass.
In some instances a school may have reusable hall passes for specific tasks, such as restroom breaks, which are handed as and when needed, and are returned to the teacher once the student has returned. In other cases, a hall pass may be written out specifically for a student requiring to leave the room, and disposed of afterwards.
Hall passes may be open ended: permitting students to be out of class until a task is completed, or time limited: granting a student only set period of time outside of the classroom. A variation on the concept of a hall pass is the hall pass timer manufactured by Stokes Publishing Company. This hall pass electronically times how long the student is gone so that both the teacher and the student can keep track of how long the student has been outside of the classroom.
Permanent hall passes may also be given to students who must regularly leave the classroom for a medical reason, or in order to attend club/sport activities.
In many cases, failure to carry a hall pass results in the student receiving detention or an alternative verbal/written punishment. It is usually the duty of a student or school employed hall monitor
Hall monitor
A hall monitor is a student volunteer in American schools who is charged with maintaining order in the school's corridors. They may be either students who are chosen for the position because they are responsible, or that may be chosen on a rota from all available students...
to check for hall passes.
Hall passes can be cancelled in the event of a school security emergency (i.e., trespassers, fire alarms, or bomb threats.)
Contents
Most hall passes usually include the following information:- Student name
- Room number
- Name of issuing teacher
- Date and time
- Destination
- Teacher's signature
In fiction
The concept of a hall pass has entered into popular culture in the US, and is frequently used as plot device or script elements in children's entertainment.Common themes include:
- Students selling fake hall passes (A noteworthy example comes from the iCarlyICarlyiCarly is an American sitcom that focuses on a girl named Carly Shay who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan...
episode "iGot Detention" where "Rip-Off" Rodney is put into detention for selling fake hall passes, due to being caught because he spelled "Hall" with only one LLŁ or ł, described in English as L with stroke, is a letter of the Polish, Kashubian, Sorbian, Łacinka , Łatynka , Wilamowicean, Navajo, Dene Suline, Inupiaq, Zuni, Hupa, and Dogrib alphabets, several proposed alphabets for the Venetian language, and the ISO 11940 romanization of the Thai alphabet...
) - The issuing of hall passes as tokens of favor from a teacher
- The revocation of hall passes as punishment
- Time off from marriage (As seen on Hall Pass)
In this context, requests for hall passes by hall monitors are also commonly used as allegory to police requests for ID.
Examples of this can be found in television shows such as Fillmore!
Fillmore!
Fillmore! is an American animated television series which was produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series was created by Scott M. Gimple...
, South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, Codename: Kids Next Door
Codename: Kids Next Door
Codename: Kids Next Door, also known as Kids Next Door or by its acronym KND, is an American animated television series created by Tom Warburton and produced by Curious Pictures in Santa Monica, California.. The series debuted on Cartoon Network on December 6, 2002 and aired its final episode on...
, Recess
Recess (TV series)
Recess is an American animated television series created by Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on six elementary school students and their interaction with other classmates and teachers...
, Ned's Declassified and Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell
Saved by the Bell is an American television sitcom that aired between 1989 and 1993. The series is a retooled version of the 1988 series Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which was itself later folded into the history of Saved by the Bell...
.