OXFORD – School board members rejected a policy Monday that would have allowed high school juniors to roam through the community during their free periods.

Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School seniors with “senior privilege” are allowed to leave the school during free periods as an alternative to study hall and lunch.

That allows students to go out to lunch, drive someplace if they have a car, or come in late or leave early if their free time is at the beginning or end of the day.

Principal Ted Moccia said the revised plan would have given students in the second semester of their junior year the same privilege. There are about 130 seniors who have the privilege now, and the plan would have opened it up to about the same amount of juniors.

The idea is to allow students to exercise some responsibility before graduating. Students who abuse the privilege, or do not meet academic or behavioral standards, will not be allowed to leave during the school day.

“We want to reward positive behavior,” Moccia said during the meeting.

While the two high school seniors who sit on the school board voice praise for the program, board members had concerns. They voted it down 8-to-12.

“To expand it to juniors would have it being an incentive rather than a reward,” said Chairman Dale Piirainen.

Board member Ronald Kugell said during the meeting that he has always been against senior privilege. He said it encourages time away from the classroom.

“There is so much time wasted that should be instructional,” Kugell said.

Another board member said the study halls are useful to junior students because the junior year is “the most difficult.”

With students coming and going throughout the day, security was a concern, although Moccia said students are required to sign in and out as they come and go.

Board member Nick DiConzo said he would be concerned about 130 more students roaming the streets and driving around the community.

School board student representatives Alyson Reid and Hannah Strauss are both high school seniors with the privilege. Reid said she uses her free time to sleep in, since it falls at the beginning of the day.

Strauss said not much studying goes on in study halls. Moccia agreed that school study halls are overcrowded and under supervised.

“It’s so hard to concentrate during study hall,” Strauss said.