In order to help improve overall student attendance, late policy has changed again this year, in a way that can severely affect any student with an issue getting to class on time regularly.
Last year the student body saw the implementation of a stricter late policy, calling for students to get to class before the bell rang, and starting the use of “salmon passes” to excuse students from class, in lieu of the previous yellow card system. This year, late policy has changed again; this time in regards to cuts. Previously cuts and lates were more or less separate issues. If a student failed to show up for a class, or didn’t show up until class was about half over, s/he would be issued a cut and a super detention, and their parents would be notified. After four cuts the student would lose credit for the class. Several lates would lead to a detention, and more severe consequences later on, though none as severe as a loss of credit. This year, however, the two have begun to merge.
This year, if a student is issued two lates in a single class, s/he will get a cut with the usual consequences that follow. More importantly however, this means that lates are much more important to watch now. Due to two lates being equivalent to a single cut, eight lates in a single class are equivalent to four cuts — meaning that if a student is tardy to a particular class eight times, that’s it – s/he loses credit in that course.
These new consequences are a part of overarching attempts on the part of the school to improve attendance, and furthermore, improve overall academic achievement of its students. For a student to do well academically, s/he needs to learn, and to learn s/he needs to be in class. Everything from attendance policy changes to late policy changes are a way to make sure students are in class, and in class on time. So, be sure to do your best to make it to class on time in order not to lose credit.