Tardy Students Locked Out

I don't think it's a bad policy, but whether it would be effective (or advisable) depends on the school and student population.

I'm sure there are other ways a school could discourage tardiness. IIRC, at my high school, three tardies counted as a truancy. A school could penalize tardiness with detentions, parent conferences, or demerits. Or repeated tardies could affect a students' grade in that class.

At the school where I teach, it would be ridiculous to lock students out. It would be a recipe for violence and disruption at best, delinquency and drug use at worst. Also, boosting attendance rates is such a priority, that no-one would dream of actually turning a student away. Also, we're a K-8 school, so the students don't usually control what time they arrive at school.

On the other hand, at schools where a higher level of conduct is more common, I think it's reasonable to expect a certain amount of personal responsibility in students. If the parents have a problem with it, they should engourage their kids to get to class on time. And maybe teach them to value their education while they're at it.

 

They did that at Ridgmont HIgh School years ago.

 

Wish they did this in college. I'm tired of kids walking in to lecture 15 minutes before it ends--really, by then, what's the point? The funny thing is that I sit with other TAs in the back of the big lecture halls for the lower division surveys, and by the end, it's either the seats in the very front, or maybe one seat next to one of us, so we're guaranteed to know who's late.

 

I bought my son a car in his senior year in HS he was late once in a while and told me if he had the car he would always be on time. In his senior year after getting the car he was late 35 times necause of picking up friends.

He was suspended when the dean saw him in the car sitting outside of his office talking with four other students in his car. while school was in session.

 

have it affect their grade and they will show up.

my husband teaches theatre classes. obviously this requires actual participation. so the time that he does have in class with them is precious.

he tells them (and makes good on his threat) that if they miss class (unexcused) he docks their grade a letter. (A+ to A, not A to B). and if they're more than 15 minutes late, it's like they weren't there. and so many (i can't remember how many) tardies = an absence.

let me tell you. they either show up all quarter or they end up dropping the class really early on.

of course this would be harder to do in a giant lecture class...

 

A class and a day are different.

I don't think students should be locked out of school. Locking them out of class is ok though.

We've had a policy where students have their normal four minute passing period. After that elapses, they're considered tardy. After an additional two minutes, they're locked out. Security then does a "hall sweep" and collects the locked out students, sending them to "tardy central." There, their names are taken down. If they appear in tardy central a few times, suspension.

I think that's a good policy. We have "professional hall-walkers" in our school. Students are regularly 10-15-20-40 minutes late for class. This puts it in check, but it's labor-intensive.

Unfortunately, having tardies affect grades doesn't work at my school. They barely care that homework, tests, and papers affect their grades. It's kind of sad, but we're working on it.

That said... locking them out of school for being late is a bit excessive. I certainly wouldn't want a kid to miss my 6th period class because he or she was late to school in the morning. Stuff happens.

 

Exactly. Attendance in discussion counts as part of their participation grade, though. And often the professors in the big lecture classes will include material in lectures that will be covered in tests that students can't find in the readings, so that's also an incentive to show up.

 

That's ridiculous.

We just get a certain amount of tardies and it's a d-hall. A few more after that and I believe they get suspended. It refreshes itself every grading period.

 

My high school had a rather draconian policy. Anyone caught outside of class after the bell rang went automatically to detention for that period, no excuses, not even a teacher could get you out of it. Once I asked if I could go use the restroom, and my AP Psych teacher said sure, but I forgot to ask for a hall pass, and he forgot to give me one. I was spotted, explained what was going on, and was told "yeah, right". Off to ACE (can't remember what the acronym was) where I sat for the next hour and fifteen minutes (long block periods).

Anyone that spoke or did anything wrong had to get out of their seat and had to stand on one square of linoleum for the entire period without moving. Or you could challenge the PE teacher in pullups, but if you lost (which you were bound to), you had to come in for an extra period. It was crazy.

 

I am a soocer coach, not a teacher, but my wife is an 8th grade Language Arts teacher. To have kids coming into class once instruction has started is disruptive to the learning process for the overwhelming majority of kids who were there on time. Allowing kids to wander in at any time only encourages them to continue to do so.

As a result, tardies are sent to the library where their names are recorded just as others have mentioned here. 3 tardies equals 1 hour of detention after school. Though this particular district has been ridiculously lackadaisical about enforcement in other areas of behavior, the tight policy on tardies has resulted in a reduction of tardies and classroom disruption.

It comes down to a matter of who "runs the school" and for whose benefit. Is it going to be the students who want an education or slackers who are forced to attend school because that is the law but could care less about getting an education?

 

The home of Snoop Dogg, Tony Gwynn, Cameron Diaz, and more NFL players than any other high school in America.

The summer before I started as a freshman, the crossing guard for the elementary school across the street was killed and found in a student's trunk at my school.

 

I have no problem with that policy as long as every one knows about it from day one and everyone enforces it equally.

That is the part that annoys me the most. My kids know from day one that if they are not in their seat working when the bell rings, that they are tardy. I have been consistent on that since day 2. Here it is day 178, and all my kids are in there seats ready to work ... well, atleast the semblence of work, when the bell rings. Other teachers just let them slide in 20 seconds after the bell without any consequence. Man, that annoys me.

Anyway, as long as everyone knew about the tardy policy from day one and it is consistently and equally enforced, I have no problem with it. If they just started this out of the blue last week, then it is poor planning on their part. Should have just waited to start it next year.

 

Man, I oughta smack you...

The correct answer is Long Beach Polytechnic High School, "the Home of Scholars and Champions". It was named the best athletics high school in the nation by SI last year, but it also has more students accepted by the UC system than any other high school in California.

Also, it was the high school for interior shots in the first American Pie.