Detentions for Tardies

Oftentimes students are late for school. This can be caused by a number of reasons such as oversleeping, traffic, or bad road conditions. But the real question is should students be punished for tardiness? A lot of kids are only late within the timespan of five minutes however in the Tiger Tips it states that for every three tardies you will get a detention. On your third detention, instead of a detention you get an in school suspension.

Personally, as a student that is usually only late by a minute, I feel that this rule should change. There is a difference between being five minutes late and 30 seconds late. I also feel that they should not make you miss classes with an ISS for being late.

Furthermore, I believe the teachers should not take attendance for five minutes after the bell rings. They should give the students a five minute grace period. One of the main reasons that I feel this way is because when you’re late, we are supposed to sign in at the front. Oftentimes, signing in takes longer than actually going to your class because of the huge line that builds up from students walking in. So instead of only being 30 seconds late to class you end up being five minutes late. 

I also feel that it is unfair when Mrs. Saulino gives us an excused absence slip or if we are in the school before the bell rings we are still marked as absent and it still counts towards our absences and detentions.

Teachers however may have different opinions. Mr. Greenmyer believes that freshmen should not be punished as they are not responsible for driving themselves. He thinks that detentions are okay as students who can drive should be able to get to class but suspensions are a little harsh.

Personally I think the rule on absences and tardies should change but it ultimately is not my decision.