A New Policy
Jenison High School has seen many changes this school year, one of them being a new tardy/absent policy. Many students like to go to dances and even more like to keep their GPA up. This year, if you’re not careful about your absences or tardies, those things could go away. This is due to updates to the JHS Handbook that include some new amendments. A student will receive a 0 GPA with fifteen absences in a class, even if excused. Additionally, every six tardies will also count as an absence. Mrs. Brown, an English teacher at JHS comments on the way she views this has affected the student body. “It seems students feel anxious about the attendance policy and the risk of losing credit for a class or losing dance privileges.” This could be good or bad but Mrs. Brown states that “I have noticed a significant change in tardies and absences. It has been a really nice turnaround. I think the new policies are having positive impacts on both the numbers of tardies and the numbers of absences.”
Is it Fair?
This new policy may seem unfair to students, but the student handbook has an answer. It states that “Absences that are the result of school-sponsored activities do not count toward a student’s absence limit.” Students who need their absence excused must get administrator approval. Hailee Boggs, a sophomore at JHS, agrees with the way it has been changed, saying “I think the tardy policy is fair because there isn’t a ton of reason to be tardy unless you have an appointment…the absent policy can sometimes not be fair because it is often not peoples fault when they are gone for an extended period of time….(and) if someone is absent that long without a good excuse, I think it is fair.”
The Effect
The policy is having an effect on our school. Students and teachers seem divided on how necessary this is though. Hailee Boggs says that she “(doesn’t) know of anyone who is tardy often,” while Mrs. Brown has noticed that “…tardies were a big problem years prior.” The fourth tardy also has more extreme consequences than last year. Four tardies will earn you a lunch detention and six an out-of-school suspension. Vienna Herman, another sophomore at JHS, remarks that while “The new policy really has not affected me, because whenever I am tardy or absent, it’s almost always a school-related thing or a medical appointment, …some kids definitely take advantage of teachers being lenient with their tardies, and some get to class just as the bell is ringing.” All in all, the new policy seems to be having a positive influence on our school. As the year progresses, we will see the true impact. Sometimes change can be bad, but it seems to be for the better as the new tardy/absent policy affects our school.
