As the bell rings at 7:50 a.m. each morning, the familiar scene of panicking students making a beeline to their first class is no surprise.
However, starting this year, the administration and staff want to see the rate of tardies decline by enforcing a strict policy that is nerve wracking to many students and parents.
With the new rule for tardy violations, one to three tardies leads to an assigned consequence by the teacher or a lunch/after school detention. Four to six offenses will get students a detention or Saturday school. Seven or more will likely result in Saturday school or in-house suspension. Excessive tardiness may affect grades as well.
Although it is important for the administration to ensure regular attendance from students, the new consequences add to the stress students are burdened with from school work and extracurriculars. Lunch and after school are times for students to relax and enjoy themselves. The fact that one tardy could mean giving up one lunch does not balance.
In addition, many students who come from families with younger children attending different schools often experience hectic mornings. This new tardy policy will put added pressure on parents who rush from school to school to drop off their children.
Additionally, since the system is slightly ambiguous, many teachers do not enforce any consequences, while others take tardiness very seriously. It is unfair to students if only a small portion of offenders receive consequences.
The new policy for cutting class is very similar to the tardy policy. The same number of offenses results in the same consequences. The new policy for cuts is very reasonable and much better than the policy in previous years.
The previous policy allowed students to have at least one to two cuts in every class per semester until students received a consequence. Cuts are often done on purpose, and therefore unacceptable.
However, coming to class late is much less serious than cutting a class. It is important to show respect to teachers by arriving on time, but should students be given these punishments for oversleeping once?
Last year’s policy allowed three tardies before students were required to go to Saturday school. The sudden decrease in minimum offenses allowed is dramatic, and a shock to many students who are occasionally late. Last year’s policy for tardies was much more reasonable and manageable.
The improved policy for cutting class is a good policy to enforce, but the new tardy policy should be reconsidered to make less stressful to students. As long as students don’t make tardies a habit and disrupt the teacher or class, students should not have the worry of being occasionally late add to the stress many of them already carry around with them.
