Beginning this year, partly due to COVID-19, Westside High School decided to not open the doors in the morning until 7:30a.m. According to Assistant Principal Tola Dada, this change was made partly because of a lack of supervision in the mornings. 

“If [students] are not supervised [before school] and one of them tests positive for [COVID-19], we have no way of contact tracing,” Dada said. “We advise that everybody do the best they can [to make it to school at 7:30 or later]; the situation is not the best for [every student], but we can’t have kids standing outside without supervision.”

Freshman Shrilea Holden rides the bus to school and often arrives before 7:30 a.m. Holden said she doesn’t know where else to go besides waiting in front of the school while she’s waiting for the doors to open.

“I usually get to school around 7:20 [a.m.] and stand outside and wait until the doors open,” Holden said. “[I don’t like having to wait outside in the morning], it’s getting too cold.”