Benilde-St. Margaret’s has many rules in place to keep students safe and under control. Teachers are able to give referrals to students who don’t follow the policies. While the referral system can help the school run more smoothly, it seems that some teachers are more strict than others, which causes confusion and annoyance with the inconsistency.
An example of something that can cause an unnecessary referral is cell phones. Phones are very important to most students, including myself. I keep my whole life on my phone, and I am sure that is the same for most students. It is understandable that teachers don’t want students to be on their phones during class. However, sometimes there is a morning where I am too tired and forget to turn off my alarm. If this alarm goes off during class, some teachers will take the phone and give a referral. I find this ridiculous because turning off the alarm is a quick fix and it wasn’t intended to happen. Some teachers tend to be less strict about the phone policy, so the same thing could happen in a different class without consequence.
The dress code also causes referrals that aren’t necessary, and it affects most of the student body. Girls tend to be the most critiqued because the restrictions fall under what we typically wear. The referrals for dress code are inconsistent among the teachers. For example, a girl could wear a skirt and get a referral for it being too short for one teacher, but another girl with different teachers will wear a similar length of skirt without a single comment. If the referrals aren’t consistent then why are they there?
I could have an appointment right after school sometimes, so I may need to leave class early without a pass to beat the rush of traffic. There is a daily struggle of trying to unlock my locker while the entire student body bumps into me. If I choose to leave early, it is a referral even if I explain my reasoning. Trying to get from the North Building all the way to the basement is also a difficult task. If I get too many tardies it is a referral, but if I leave early to get there on time it is also a referral? That doesn’t add up. Referrals are necessary in some cases, but sometimes the power is abused.
Referrals are needed to help the school run safely and smoothly, but they should be used to handle bigger issues. If a student happens to forget their calculator or their book, it shouldn’t be a referral. We are all human and sometimes we forget things or make mistakes. The fact that referrals are given out for tedious things makes them look less important when there actually is a problem.