With the new school year, administration added many changes to alter rules and routines, sending a wave of evolution through the students at Leesville Road High School. While the changes were made to increase safety for the students, many are frustrated with their impact.
Last year, if students were late to a class, they had to report to lunch detention the following day, for eighteen minutes.
This year, however, the administration has given students a grace period of four tardies with no punishment, understanding that students are not perfect and sometimes things aren’t in their control. On students’ fifth tardy, their off-campus lunch pass is taken for one week, if tardies are occurring in random classes. If all five tardies have been racked up in first and fourth period (when students have to get to school in the morning and come back after lunch on time), the student’s parking pass is taken for one week.
However, if a student is an underclassmen without the privilege of going off campus or does not have access to a lunch pass, regular detention like last year is still their consequence for being late.
Despite concerns from the students, administration feels as though a more strict, differing punishment for tardiness will increase the desire for students to get to class on time. Mrs. Fehling, one of the assistant principals, had an extremely similar policy at her previous school; “When students are losing things that matter much more to them, they are more likely to change their behavior.”
Mrs. Fehling explains that these changes administer the “tier system”, meaning that the more tardies a student has, the harsher the punishment becomes. “If there is the same punishment each time, students are less likely to change their behavior, because [the old tardy policy] it was only eighteen minutes of lunch they had to serve,” said Mrs. Fehling.
The rule alterations specifically holds the upperclassmen accountable with a perk they do not want to lose.
Juniors and Seniors
5 tardies = 1 week loss of Off-campus pass
10 tardies = 2 week loss of Off-campus pass
15 tardies = 1 month loss of Off-campus pass
20 tardies = Loss of pass for the semester (or one more month, whichever is longer)
Freshmen and Sophomores
5 tardies – 9 tardies = lunch detention per tardy
10 tardies – 14 tardies = after school detention per tardy
15 tardies – 18 tardies = 1 day ISS per tardy
19 tardies – 20 tardies = 2 days ISS + parent conference
Tardies exceeding 20 = Further action at the discretion of the administrator.
(Source — LRHS Handbook)
