Luisa Bernardino

A late check-in pass will be given to students if they are late to class in the morning.

Observing a rise in the number of tardies, a new policy has been set in place to reduce the number of students who are late to class during the first period. Now, when a student is late to class, they are required to get a late check-in pass from the nearest class house to enter the classrooms. 

In a previous article on Metea Media, Principal Daniel DeBruyker said “Many students are walking the halls when the bell rings at 7:25 am, [and] some of them have been in the building for 15 minutes and they’re [still] late to class.” 

Before this rule, there were no severe consequences to being late after the first bell. 

“When teachers didn’t lock doors, in my class, people would show up a few minutes late [without a pass], and it would be okay,” sophomore Zeba Shaik said.

The purpose of this rule is to reach out to students who are late to class before the first period. According to an email to all students and their parents, “Deans will work with students, individually, to intervene with anyone that receives multiple Late Check-In passes.” 

While this may hold true for several students, it does not apply to everyone. There are various reasons students may be late to class, even if it is by a minute. 

“Sometimes I get caught up in traffic, because my parents drive me, and even if I am on time to school, [there are] huge crowds in the hallways that make me late,” Shaik said.

Freshman Prisha Srivastava was frustrated because they believed that they were wasting their time by having to get a pass instead of just going to class. 

“I think this will probably affect my learning because today I was locked out for being a minute late. I also have to wait here to get a pass and go back again,” Srivastava said. 

While it is always hard to adjust to a new rule or policy, many students believe that this may be a positive change moving forward. 

“I think it will help me as well as my peers to show up on time and be engaged,” Shaik said. “It will serve as a warning that you should not fool around in the hallways and go to class on time or have to deal with the consequences.”