<p>If we’re late, our punishment depends on the teacher. Some teachers agree with mini, that you’ve already been punished for missing class.</p>
<p>Our school policy is to send kids to On Campus Suspension for the rest of the period (and we’re on block schedule, so that’s roughly 90 minutes depending on how late they are).</p>
<p>I’ve never agreed with detention, because it doesn’t teach kids anything. They go and sit for what…an hour? Then they leave. “Wow, I’ve really learned my lesson, I’ll never do THAT again.” Please.</p>
<p>At our school kids can gave three lates before getting a detention but will be marked late even if it’s the school buses fault. We have no public transportation, about a dozen walkers and maybe 70 kids drive. We don’t have a lunch detention but with a day’s warning, that doesn’t sound like such a bad idea because with a days notice it would be easy enough to pack a lunch. We’re a lunch packing family so it wouldn’t be a big deal at all. An after school detention would be much more disruptive for us.</p>
<p>Thank goodness our school was reasonable with regard to absences- partial or whole day. A parent’s note was sufficient. Many a time I wrote a tardy note for my youngest- he had allergies and during the spring they were really bad- sometimes he would be up all night with respiratory problems. He’d go in a little later during the day. All he needed was a couple hours sleep! One time I remember being in the ER at 4 AM. He was wheezing, got it under control and said, “I’ve got a bio test in 6th period. I’ll sleep until lunchtime, then I’ll go in and take the test”. I was proud of him for that!</p>
<p>What this “all or nothing” policy teaches students is to just blow off the entire day instead of trying to deal with whatever problem you’re having. When they go off on their own, they’ll have to learn how to deal with health issues- sleep in when you can, go to the test or the important lecture, etc. You’re not always going to be healthy, feeling great, getting proper sleep. I’ll bet those same administrators who make the ridiculous all-or-nothing policies go in to work late on days that they are sick… or take the day off early.</p>
<p>Alternatively, students get detained after school, or given more work to do. There you have it, good message - “school is punishment, and punishment is to have to endure more of it.” Just the message we want to send to the kids.</p>
<p>So what are schools supposed to do with students who skip or who are chronically late to school?</p>
<p>In our system, students who are habitually late to school and/or class can fail the class they are late for after being late without a lawful excuse 6 times.</p>
<p>That really begs the issue. Just what is a “lawful excuse”? There’s a material difference between coming late because you indulged in personal fun and frolic (like stopping for coffee) and arriving late because you were ill or had a bona fide accident or other exigent circumstances. And why should a student get sanctioned if there is a legitimate bona fide reason for the lateness. But that would require the exercise of sound discretionary authority, which often taxes the resources of school administrators. Or if a school doesn’t want to get caught up in evaluating each situation on its merits, then have a “no fault” system where you are permitted enough latenesses without sanction so as to cover a reasonable number of legitimate latenesses and thereafter end up snagging those who are in reality abusing the system and are the real offenders. Industry does it all the time. But that would require administrators to actually treat high school students like the young adults the expect them to be.</p>
<p>Our school would not have the staff to have such a vigilant tardy policy.
The class with the most tardies at son’s school was after lunch. The school gives 25 minutes for lunch but allows the kids to go off campus. Anyone in their right mind knows you can’t walk to your car, drive to any dining establishment, pay, eat and be back at school in your seat in 25 minutes. Give the kids a longer lunch or don’t let them go off campus. Seems logical to me.
When my son had lunch detention he knew ahead of time. They also let them go to the cafeteria with an attendant to get food if necessary.</p>
<p>when my kids were in middle school, sometimes the teacher would give the whole class detention, you know, for not being quiet in line, or whatever</p>
<p>So you would have all these parents waiting outside to pick up their kids, waiting 1/2hour, wondering…</p>
<p>After the second time, I wrote a letter to the arch diocese and the school, saying that this practice, which was at many of the schools, was a nightmare for many parents- some had other kids to pick up, some had classes, and tutoring, and doctors appointments, and carpools, and practices, some parents had to go to work, get the car back to a spouse, etc</p>
<p>The school did it again, and I sent an invoice in asking for $50 bucks beccause I missed an appointment and that is what the doctor charges</p>
<p>Well, they changed the practice after that- no more mass detentions, and if you were getting detention, it was staying in at lunch, or having to come in early…</p>
<p>“Our school would not have the staff to have such a vigilant tardy policy.”</p>
<p>In our school teachers monitor this within their own classroom. If a student comes to class late without a note signed by another staff member or an administrator their late arrival is considered unexcused. </p>
<p>As for late arrivals to school, the policy is strict, but not unduly so IMO. Truthfully all it takes is for a parent to write a note with any kind of reasonable explanation and the student’s late arrival will be excused.</p>
<p>Our school is new and fairly high tech and once the school day begins all outside doors lock automatically so the only way to enter the building is though the main office. It’s the only entry door that’s open. Actually this is a security feature not simply for the sake of catching students arriving late.</p>
<p>The policy also includes unexcused tardies. As a result, the schools are obsessive about attendance. Every school has an attendance secretary whose entire job is to monitor attendance. State money depends on it, as well.</p>
<p>The Becca Bill was put into place after a teenager died–and the parents didn’t know she’d been cutting school.</p>