This school year, Hollis Brookline High School administration implemented a staggered dismissal process for students to avoid crowds and stay safe during the pandemic. While this decreases big crowds, the new system brings up the question: does this make the traffic this year worse than it was last year?

Every Monday and Tuesday, walkers and students taking the bus get dismissed at 2:23 while student drivers that park in the bottom lot get dismissed at 2:27 and back lot student drivers at 2:30. This can lead to confusion and chaos. “I think the new dismissal is a big mess and it’s made traffic and leaving the school way worse,” said Kayden Trombley ‘23 who has been hitching a ride with his older brother, who parks in the bottom lot, since last year.  

“I don’t think they have to have that big of a gap between people leaving,” said Jack Duquette 21. This seems to be a common thread among students. Even four minutes feels like a lifetime when you’re just waiting at your seat until you are dismissed. Waiting in class while others are able to leave can be a waste of time and lead to loss of focus and concentration in students. This time could be spent doing something more important rather than waiting around. 

On Wednesdays and Thursdays, student drivers have the opportunity to leave at 1:43 before CavBlock at the end of the day. This cuts down the amount of traffic tremendously. Students don’t have busses or parent carpools to deal with and vice versa. Why couldn’t this happen everyday? Why only twice a week? Not only does it reduce traffic, it also cuts the number of students in the building nearly in half. Though this is a valid solution to the issue, it could prevent students from getting the help they may need from teachers. Rather than staying for CavBlock, most students would prefer going home. It would help the traffic issue at the end of the day, having CavBlock in the middle of the day twice a week allows students to have more motivation to stay and get the help they need. 

Officer Richard Bergeron is always outside at the end of the day monitoring students as they leave the parking lot in their vehicles. “I’m usually the last one out so I follow the last car out and I get back to the station the same time as last year. For students, I think they get out a little later- just a little bit,” said Officer Bergeron. 

Several factors including the location of a student’s parking spot-whether it be in the back or bottom lot- and how fast they get out to the parking lot can all determine how quickly students can get home. 

It is clear that traffic is not the number one priority of the school. The safety and education of the students is what is most important to them. “The reason for this staggered dismissal is so you don’t have bigger groupings and that you can get more of a flow, you’ll have a group of people and a group of people rather than the mass exodus of 600 something students,” said Bergeron.

Although the new dismissal system at Hollis-Brookline Highschool may not be perfect, it is keeping students safe through this tough time.