For many students attending KS Kapalama, one of the most important facets of their lives is their ability to drive to and from school. Each morning, numerous students make their daily commutes to school and, when the school day is over, leave campus to go to their next destination. For many students, this means going to their part-time jobs, getting out to do something fun, or making their way back home to take care of other responsibilities. For these students, the use of driving helps to make their days as efficient as possible. So why is it that some students are stripped of their opportunity to make their time as valuable as possible?

As school policy stands right now, students are unable to leave campus until 2:15, or the passing period before Imua Block. Barring any sort of responsibilities during the final period of the day, why should a student be kept on campus until this time? This limitation only results in more traffic density after school, when parents and guardians are making their way up campus to pick up their kids. Not to mention, when the credit requirement for a KS student was lowered to 24 credits, the original purpose was to encourage students to go and participate in jobs, internships, or extracurricular activities without the burden of school overtaking these things. How can a student maximize their opportunities outside of school when they are unable to maximize the time that they have for these opportunities?

It’s not like this policy would be anything new, either. In the 2021-22 school year, there was already a system that allowed students to leave campus during these free periods at the end of the day. However, it did take a little while for the school to finally implement this policy. At the end of the day, we can only hope that they will do the same for the current school year. The school should give student drivers extra time that they can use for themselves outside of school. By doing this, we can promote diverse and productive lives for all of our students here at KS.