The official LOSD handbook states that “all LOSD schools are closed campuses. Students may not leave campus during school hours without permission and check-out procedures,” but many students at LHS believe that this is not the case.
Students can be seen leaving LHS and going to various places around Lake Oswego for lunch and to skip classes.
“Short of having people at every exit around the building, it’s just hard to stop and check every single person that leaves,” said Assistant Principal Brian Crawford.
Although the expectations of students apply to every school in the LOSD, students notice a different experience when going to both high schools.
LHS senior Matthew Rodrigano attends LOHS every other day, and notices a clear difference in how each school enforces their policies.
“When we leave to drive away [from LOHS] during lunch, we never see anybody else leaving,” said Rodrigano. “Whereas at Lakeridge, half the parking lot is open during lunch from all the seniors leaving.”
The contrast between the application of the rules between the schools extends to more than just the district parking policy, but the ban of cell phones.
Governor Tina Kotek issued Executive Order No. 25-09 on July 2, 2025 stating that Oregon schools are “required to have a policy that shall prohibit the use of personal electronic devices by students from the start of regular instructional hours until the end of regular instructional hours”.
Prior to this order, the LOSD district began banning phones during the school day for the 2024-2025 school year. This phone ban promoted the slogan “off and away during the school day” requiring students to keep all cellular devices out of sight.
LOSD still maintains these demands, directly emphasizing that this “includes class time, passing periods, and lunchtime.” Despite this, a lot of students are seen with devices in the school bathrooms, hallways, during lunch periods, and even secretly out during a lecture.
“I see people on their phones a lot at Lakeridge…but a lot of times it goes unnoticed,” said Rodrigano. “At LOHS, there’s a very strict policy there, and you wouldn’t ever have your phone out.”
If caught with their phones at LHS, many students are let off with a warning or simply told to put it away.
“[At LOHS] the very least they’ll give you is a stern warning [if your phone is even visible],” said Rodrigano.
This directly rivals the experience of many LHS students, whose phones can be found in their pockets or simply tucked away in their sweatshirts to use when staff is not looking.
While many students agree that students at LHS often disobey the rules, Assistant Principal Brian Crawford notices a lot of progress due to the phone policy.
“I see a lot more social interaction amongst students in the hallway, they’re more talkative,” said Crawford. “Implementing the rule was easier than I thought it would be.”
“I use my phone a lot at school,” said an anonymous source. “It’s not hard to be discreet and I feel like it doesn’t take away from my ability to learn.”
The LHS administration has begun to promise incentives for students to follow the rules. Encouragements to stay phone free consist of prom tickets and future parking spots, prompting students to become more compliant and to be more careful to abide by the expectations.
