For many students, the half hour for lunch is a time to decompress from the first three periods of the day, hang out with friends, or study for the coming periods. A lot of students go off campus to Starbucks, or other nearby places. This year, students have to go through the N-Building gates to get on and off campus during lunch, and while some days are worse than others in terms of getting through the gates into the parking lot, the system itself is not that bad. 

A lot of students make the same complaint: it takes too long to get through the gates at the beginning of lunch, and it eats into the only time they get to ourselves. This makes the amount of time getting from campus, to their destination, and back to campus with little to no time. 

While I agree it can be a hassle to get out of the gate, most of the time, the process is quick and easy. It never takes me more than thirty seconds to get out of the gate at the beginning of lunch. Getting back on campus is the easiest thing because there is never a line to get back in. 

Not to mention that they will also have to find parking in the senior or junior lot, the overflow parking lot, or on the street, and get into campus and into their fourth period class before the bell rings.

This system is effective. It works day in and day out and it is in place for a reason. The only time checking ID cards matters is when students are coming back onto campus; to verify that they are PHS students with OCPs. 

An alternative to this system would be to add another staff member to check Off Campus Passes (OCPs) at the gate between the E-Building and the N-6 Building. 

However students may feel about the efficiency of the OCP checks, getting to leave campus in the first place is a privilege. There are certain criteria that students have to meet and maintain, such as keeping a 2.0 minimum Grade Point Average (GPA), have a satisfactory discipline record, and have an ID card to show to school officials. Being able to have a privilege like that, to me, is valuable.