The current tardy policy in place at Riverside Brookfield High School states that being late “disrupts the flow of the education process,” but what does lateness really disrupt? During first period only the morning announcements are being played and they can be and usually are interrupted by talking students.
I think that the tardy policy at school should be slightly revised for first period because students have the most to do in the morning. My big issue is with the morning announcements. Why should students have to rush to class if we are not missing any learning? I am not saying that we should have a long time to get there, but I personally think the bell shouldn’t ring until after the announcements have been made. If a student misses the announcements they can ask to see the bulletin after class, holding up no one but themselves.
I also don’t understand how being late, missing announcements and at worst the pledge, is a detention-worthy offense. If kids are lollygagging in the halls and wasting the teacher’s time then yes they should be reprimanded, but when they are rushing to get ready and walking hastily through the halls they should not be in trouble. I realize that this is not a teacher by teacher thing, but it is their choice to enforce it as harshly or as easily as they see fit.
Some teachers feel that the tardy policy should be a little more lenient, but the people affected the most by the current tardy policy are the kids, like Sophomore Cameron Webber.
Webber said, “ I am late a lot but I try my best to rush to school, when I try I still end up late and grounded by my parents and usually with a detention.”
The problem is that kids don’t want to be late, but it happens. Bike tires pop, cars stall, and feet hurt so when a kid tries his best to get to class and is only a few minutes late, he deserves to give his side of the story and should not be punished.
Teachers have to enforce the policy to those who interrupt class, but a kid who walks in during the announcements should not be punished because he is not interrupting anything. Teachers do not need to be so adamant about the policy until it becomes a recurring problem, but in my opinion students walking in during the announcements are not causing a problem.