Ukiah High School has seen an explosion in the skating culture. Many students found skating to be the one activity they could engage outdoors during the COVID-19 remote learning year.
With Wildcat Nation’s schedule redesign, students suddenly have much more freedom to choose how to spend their time. Some students began to take advantage of the room in the new schedule and the Ukiah High administration is attempting to solve this issue. A simple solution was decided upon: the skate pass.
Each student interested in going to the skate park must meet certain requirements to be eligible, UHS Principal Gordon Oslund explained. Students are required to have passing grades, parents need to sign a permission slip and attend class consistently. Mr. Oslund emphasized that the pass was a “privilege, not a right” and it could be revoked if the requirements were not maintained.
Principal Oslund hopes the skate pass concept will help prevent truancy and drug use.
11th grader Cadence Doble questioned the necessity of this pass system: “We should not need a pass if we are going to the skatepark after or before school.”
12th grader Mason Peacock understands the administration’s move to implement a pass system: “I feel as an administration, they had to do something. I think that it was logical to implement a pass system because other off-campus activities utilize them as well.” Peacock is eager to see how the roll-out of the pass system goes and said “only time will tell if this works or not.”
The administration’s main concern for the skatepark is student safety. Administrators and campus supervisors have stationed themselves at every exit in the front of the school monitoring who is coming and going to campus.
The future is yet to be written about the skate park and the policies that will best uphold safety and allow students to explore their passion.
