5, 4, 3, 2, 1…DETENTION!

Ugh.

These are the sounds and thoughts that students hear and feel when it comes to tardiness and the result here at Paint Branch High School. At PB, the attendance policy applies to anyone “Not in the classroom when the late bell rings.” According to our Student Agenda Rules and Regulations section, the possible consequences include, “student serves detention for lunch and student is referred to his/her counselor.”

However, detention and counselor referral are no way near the harshest consequence. On the 4th unexcused absence, the student is supposed to be referred for an EMT(  meeting  and have their parent called. And the toughest consequence of all is that on the 5th unexcused absence ‘’Credit recovery plan and attendance intervention is required” and the school requires a parent meeting with counselor, teacher and administrator.

Oh yes, and “Family vacations are not excused absences.”

While it is fair for students to be marked late for a class if they arrive after the bell, it does not seem fair to then give them detention for it. One reason is the hallways they are  very busy coming from floor to floor, especially traveling from first and third . Where the halls are very packed and hard to navigate the class . Another reason students are late for class are the  teachers . sometimes hold kids after class without thinking about the cause or what their  next class is .

PB should change the attendance policy so three tardies should not amount to an unexcused absence from class. Being late is different from being absent, and very different from cutting a class. Unexcused absences cause big consequences like failing the whole course no matter if you have an A or an E.

A tardy should just stay a tardy, and an absence should be if you didn’t show up at all. Changing the attendance policy in this way will keep numerous of people from failing the course. This change in policy will not only help the students, but will definitely help the teachers, and the overall school.