This year physical hall passes were retired in the Math and Science wings at Inderkum High School and replaced with the Minga.io app, which students could download on their phone or use via their chromebooks. 

“I’m glad they started with a trial run in only two wings, because it’s been bizarre and there’s been a slight learning curve with another app introduced to both students and teachers,” said junior Arshpreet Kaur.

Minga has also replaced the physical student IDs this year and thats brought with it many new features. 

Physics teacher Christopher Stedronsky said, “Minga tracks the time that students are out of class and it does make it easier to know when a student could be skipping.” 

While there are practical benefits of this online switch, some factors have not been so well received. 

“Using the online hall pass adds another task to teachers, as if they are busy doing their job, they might not get to their phone or computer to end the student’s hall pass, creating the illusion of them being out of class longer than they really were,” said senior Citlalli Beltran Aceves.

The ability of the app to track student locations has also been off-putting since the adoption of online hall passes. 

“It is almost dystopian to need an app downloaded on your phone for a student ID, and that the same app can track your whereabouts and the amount of time you are moving,” said Kaur.

While the introduction of the Minga app created concerns of privacy and the ability to manage giving students online passes while teaching, there were benefits that came with it as well. 

Beltran Aceves said, “Minga could be practical for students who might be prone to misplacing or losing things, as they wouldn’t need to get another student ID to access sports or other school events.” 

Another one of the positives about Minga could also be a detracting factor, depending on the situation. 

Before having access to the online hall pass, “Students need to get it approved by their teacher, which can mean longer wait times rather than when you could just raise your hand,” said Kaur. 

The Minga launching has been dubbed as a “trial run” at Inderkum High School and there is an uncertainty as to how it will expand or cease to be used in the following years. 

Beltran Aceves said, “There is definitely a practical side of the Minga app, as it has the potential to decrease students skipping and can replace physical IDs, but I hope that it stays in only two wings of the school.”