At the beginning of second semester, additional rules regarding attendance policies were specified and slightly altered to accommodate students who have first period PE. Those who arrive at school at 7:21 and later have to scan into the front kiosk. Deans will also issue warning letters to students who are more than five minutes late to any first period. If a student continues to be tardy for more than five minutes to first period, the dean’s office will notify the student of an intervention assignment, which can be a conference with their dean, a 30 minute to two hour detention after school, or Saturday school.
North noticed that a large majority of students who are late to school have a first period PE. Therefore, students with a first period PE are expected to be in the locker room or main gym by 7:15. If they arrive later than that, students will have to scan into the Athletic Wing, which can also result in a conference with the teacher, detention or a referral to the dean’s office.
Though all students will start their attendance record with a clean slate this semester, the deans and admin continue to emphasize the importance of showing up to school on time every morning. Though these rules can help increase attendance, some students are worried that they might be too strict and that they will not be able to make it.
Melina Matsas, freshman, thinks that the new attendance policy is alright, but she still believes that there will still be a lot of tardies regardless of the small change.
“[A lot] of people are [still] late for many random reasons. I have seen kids this week coming to class 15 to 20 minutes late,” said Matsas. “Students need to have good time management in order to be on time, [so] they shouldn’t have to worry about being late.”
Some students did not notice much of a change in the policy because they do not have a first hour gym.
“I don’t know anything about it,” said Joanna Thompson, freshman.
The gym policy changed due to first period tardies.
“A number of people were kind of abusing the changing period, the first five minutes of the lesson where students are expected to change for PE. We know many do not change but still like to offer the opportunity for those who do,” said Steve Dodd, gym teacher.
Dodd understands that first hour can be difficult to arrive on time.
“The new policy is an attempt to reduce the number of tardies by making sure there’s a fair and consistent policy that students are aware of and understand,” said Dodd. “Having all students meet in the main gym is an attempt to maintain supervision of all classes.”
Each hour, a PE teacher needed to supervise the students and lock the locker rooms to ensure all of the students’ belongings were safe.
With the discussions PE teachers are having with their students, the PE teachers hope to support the students in getting to school sooner.
“In terms of everyone meeting in the main gym, your teachers are working hard to ensure every student gets as much engagement time as possible in their PE class,” said Dodd.
