The student handbook states that a student can be marked tardy if they arrive within 1-minute after class is scheduled to start. There are several reasons why this shouldn’t happen.
On occasion, students are left waiting while the teacher arrives minutes after the class is meant to start. So why is a student marked ‘tardy unexcused’ for being 1-minute late? You can argue that the teacher probably had important reasons for their lateness, but the same could be argued for students.
Firstly, students don’t decide when class ends — the teacher does. So if a teacher goes over, it limits the time students have to reach their next class, causing lateness. Secondly, many students rely on those after-class moments to get help, which, again, cuts into their travel time, causing lateness.
On the day students’ side, they face the challenge of traveling to school – some even from far distances. If you consider the fact that they probably stay up until midnight trying to finish assignments, it is unfair to expect that they will always arrive on time. Additionally, road issues that can cause lateness; for example, traffic accidents are beyond day students’ control. It also doesn’t help that once on campus they must rush from the Alfond.
Furthermore, weather is another reason students may be a 1-minute or so late for class. Kents Hill has many international students, some of whom have never navigated through snow and ice. Therefore, such conditions can force students to move cautiously and slowly, causing lateness. No teacher should expect any student to rush to class on icy ground — they’re asking for a sprained wrist.
One flaw with the attendance system is that teachers cannot edit it after submission. So even if a day student has a valid reason for being late, because some teachers take care of the attendance so quickly, students face unnecessary consequences. This is unfair, especially when, if a day student does get into a car crash, the concern is rectifying the unexcused instead of their mental and physical health.
Marking a student tardy unexcused for being 1-minute late is unnecessary. There needs to be a way to give teachers the leeway to hear students out and edit their attendance accordingly, even after submission, if given a good reason. Let’s foster an understanding for each student and teacher’s circumstances and have empathy towards attendance.
