As we welcome in the new year, students are introduced to new rules, and the most debated one is the infamous tardy policy. 

Two thousand students are all rushing through the hallways, pushing and shoving each other in order to all get to their classes in the five minutes given before doors are locked, and students are sent to get a tardy pass. 

The policy states that all students must be in class when the bell rings, and at that time all teachers will lock their doors. 

Any students caught in the hallway are forced to go to the cafeteria, where the administration determines their punishment based on how many tardies they have incurred in the past. 

Students have been exchanging views on this topic since the beginning of school, and very few are supportive of it.

“I feel like it’s kind of dumb. It was really bad when we had homeroom because we had to come from the fourth floor, and it was just really bad for some people,” sophomore Marvin Williams said.

Although the administration makes exceptions during first period for carpool students who arrive late, some students are against it because of transportation issues. 

“I believe that this new tardy policy is extremely inconsiderate of not only students, but parents who have to transport students to school everyday,” junior Natalie Cardona-Bennett said.

Others have trouble getting to class on time because of the distance from one class to another. Students could have a class on the fourth floor and have to get to a class in the basement across the school within five minutes. 

“I think they’re stupid and they shouldn’t have them. I’ve been sprinting out of class to make sure I make it to my next period on time,” sophomore James Carter Whitley said of the tardy slips. 

When a student gets caught in a tardy sweep, it can take a while for them to gather each person’s amount of previous tardies in order to determine whether they get ISI or not.

“Administrators who are writing students’ passes in the mornings is taking out more educational time and core class time from students rather than being a few minutes late in the first place. This new policy to enforce detention, and ISS and other suspensions and consequences when it is usually out of the student’s control,” Cardona-Bennett said.

Students also suggest that they need time to do other things in between classes.

“I would say, maybe like eight minutes, instead of five. Cause also, there’s that bathroom rule where you can’t leave, so maybe if we had a longer time to get to class we could also use the bathroom,” senior Olivia Gordon said. Gordon referred to the rule that there should be no passes the first 10 and last 10 minutes of class. 

Students were asked to give their sound advice on what they think would be best regarding this new policy and what the school could do better.

“I would tell the administration that you could honestly ease up a little bit, unless we have a severe problem with tardies, which I don’t think we do, and it’s not realistic to have someone go all the way to get a pass, and then go back which causes them to miss even more class,” senior Lamiyah Johnson said.

Editor’s Update

Since publication, there are now multiple tardy slip stations posted around the campus to limit the time it takes to enter tardies. At the end of September, the administration released data showing a marked decrease in tardies due to the new policy.