Any student who has ever changed high schools or had the chance to visit a high school other than their own, knows that rules at the various schools are as different as night and day.

Even schools within the same district might as well be in other countries when it comes to keeping students in order. Yet, with all their differences, schools share the same problem with enforcing rules: miscommunication between students and administrators.Recently, there has been a general change in every school's policies in response to the new threats of violence and crime in schools across the country. The new policies (involving dress codes, video cameras, and zero tolerance) are in place to help students, teachers, and parents feel more comfortable at school. However, the reasoning behind the policies is either misconstrued by students or not explained by administrators.

As you walk the halls in many high schools, you tend to hear students complaining about the policies, viewing them as being hypocritical or pointless. At East High, students complain about the parking lot being dangerous regardless of the expensive camera equipment and wonder why administrators insist on enforcing a dress code if they don't do it consistently. More and more students are seeing school policies as "stupid" and administrators are left wondering why students disregard the rules.

Oddly enough, there is a relatively simple answer to this growing problem. Communication. When I set out to write this article, I was expecting to finally catch administrators on their "stupid" policies. After I spoke with the principal of East High, Bob Pliley, about his administrative decisions, I realized they weren't stupid at all. All it took for me to change my mind was simple communication.

The root of the problem was presenting the decisions without any explanation. Though students don't necessarily like the policies, at least they would know why they are in place and are enforced the way they are. Though the rule may sound "stupid," communication on behalf of the administration and an ear from the students will help resolve the issue of policies.

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Miranda Whitworth is a student at East High School.

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