The brand-new tardy policy went into effect a little over two weeks ago, and students have varying thoughts on it.

As in the previous policy, students are expected to be prepared and in their seats. However, the new rules have more structure than before. 

Each semester, if a student has one to four tardies, they will be required to have a conference with a teacher. At five tardies, parents will be contacted. 

At six to eight tardies, there is a parent and student counselor meeting, as well as lunch reflections. 

After eight tardies or failure to complete lunch reflections, there are parent and student conferences with administration, after-school detention and the possibility of losing after-school activities.

The policy also includes a new warning bell that rings one minute before class starts. This encourages students to be mindful of possible tardiness and come to class on time.

Senior Ashley Islas said, “The warning bell has been really helpful for me because it allows me to know when to start rushing to class if I’m still walking or talking with friends.” 

However, senior Haley Scholer said the new rules seemed harsh, “I get the need for it… I just feel like if you’re tardy once, that shouldn’t result in a meeting with a teacher… [because] that could just be a one-time mistake.”

She also mentions many students seem not to care about the policy because most teachers don’t seem to be enforcing it.

While the policy is still fairly new, the hope is that these new rules will work better than the incentives given to students without tardies/absences. And the updated policy will create fewer tardies among the student body so that students can be better engaged and ready to learn.