Every day, hundreds of students utilize computers for schoolwork, assessments, and personal needs, yet very few are even open to students. Schreiber has multiple computer labs, but most can only be accessed when teachers are supervising students.

Unfortunately, this leaves few places for students that are looking to use a computer. Students need a place to work on computers, and yet there are policies regarding these computer labs that prohibit student usage. Students are expected to type papers, research the internet for projects, and complete homework on computers, so why are there so few places for students to do this in school? The only lab open to students is in the library, and spots are often completely filled during lunch periods.

Most days, at least during one period, this lab is occupied by teachers who need the lab for their classes, leaving no places for students to work online. During these periods, students are subject to using Chrome Books which are unreliable and very slow to load most websites.

However, the rules regarding the lab have changed over time. The reason why there needs to be supervision is because in the past is that there have been several incidents of vandalism, like mice being removed from chords, keys missing from keyboards, and printers jammed and misused. However, just because there have been issues in the past does not mean students should not have access to computers.

Students have responsibilities that reach much further than our immense workload, and yet we are not trusted to use the computer without supervision. There should be alternate solutions that allow students to use the lab at more convenient times. The lab should be open to students during school hours every day, so students can use computers whenever necessary. If this is not possible, the lab should at least be open during lunch hours regardless of teacher supervision.

The administration and teachers should reconsider their policies regarding the English computer lab. If students had more access to this computer lab or any of the computer labs at Schreiber, we would have more time to get work done, and in return grades for online assignments would increase.