Goodbye clear blue skies and hello crowded hallways.

Carlisle High School said goodbye to the open campus policy.  While at first, students may not have been so welcoming to the closed campus policy, they have learned to adapt. They are beginning to understand why the decision was made.   

The open campus policy allowed students to walk outside from building to building in between classes.  This not only allowed students to get some fresh air on a nice day but also allowed them to avoid walking through the often crowded, congested hallways.

Besides the moment of fresh air, benefits include getting to classes faster than when they would walk inside.

“I felt that it gave me more time to get to my classes because I didn’t have to worry about other students in the hallway,” said senior Rachelle Renninger.  

However, the doors have now been shut, and students must travel inside between classes.  Walking outside is now considered an act of insubordination and will have consequences to follow.  At first, the reaction from the student body was a mixture of emotions, ranging from anger to understanding.

“Considering the fact that I would walk outside daily, it is constantly annoying,” sophomore Shannon Keller said. “I understand the school safety issue but students are allowed to go outside during gym classes and walkouts, so why not between classes.”

However, even with some students not fully on board with the new closed campus policy, the decision is final. This can be a hard adjustment because of the history of having an open campus.

Jay Rauscher, head principal of Carlisle High School, has been at CHS for 11 years now. As long as Rauscher has been here, the school has maintained an open campus policy.

Rauscher talked about how the school looks at the safety of the school on a regular basis.  The school also maintains contact with the local law enforcement.

“This year, with the number of incidents occurring at public schools, we finally sat down with everyone involved and decided that we had to go to a closed campus,” said Rauscher.

Time has passed since the campus was switched over, and students have adapted to the new policy.  The school aims to keep students safe while they are at school, and this was a policy that was put in place to make the school a safer place for the students.