Students have all been late before—whether it’s because of missing the bus, traffic, or a class on the other side of the school. In my opinion, the tardy policy hasn’t fixed anything; it has just added stress to students already trying their best.
Based on Mead High School’s Tardy Expectations document, four tardies in one week are equivalent to one detention, and one unexcused absence is equivalent to two tardies, with attendance resetting every week.
Marin Dutcher (‘29) said, “If you’re late and it’s not your fault, I feel like they should give you some grace with that. [Especially if it’s due to] hallways, missing your bus, or traffic.”
Even freshmen, just starting off, are struggling to make it to their classes with how crowded the hallways are. Jamie Rivera (‘27) shares how she thinks the policy is somewhat fair, also stating, “I don’t think four tardies are enough [chances]. It should be six tardies, then we get detention…When it’s Mav 20, five minutes is not enough time for [the] passing period, because I’m always late on those days.”
Frequently, when students are asked why they’re late to class, they cite the rush of the hallways as a big issue. Some students are later to class than others, although normally for different reasons. It seems obvious that quite a few students are often late to their first blocks repeatedly; however, some of these students are not late because they’re messing around.
Jameson Ingram (‘27) states, “[Passing period is] too short because sometimes you have to go from G-wing to the F-wing, [and] it takes too long with the amount of people that we have here.”
Having to go across the entire building in just a few minutes just doesn’t seem realistic. Especially with all four grades and faculty walking in the halls at the same time. No matter what grade you’re in or what hall you have to go to, the tardy policy feels unrealistic.
