As Archie Williams begins their second month of school, students encounter the administration’s heightened policies regarding student absenteeism and tardiness. In past years, administration began using strategies such as calling parents and marking students as unexcused or truants on their records. From the start of the 2024-25 school year, these attendance policies become stricter and increasingly enforced.
Archie Williams’ Dean of Student Success, Alan Nealley, oversees student attendance reports. According to Nealley, Archie Williams administration is beginning to put additional effort into enforcing attendance in order to maximize learning.
“I end up tracking and looking at a whole host of reports daily about who’s missing school. Part of my job is to dig in and talk with counselors, assistant principals, teachers, and families, trying to figure out why the student is missing, and what we can do to remove any obstacles [that are] getting in the way of a student attending school,” Nealley said.
When unexcused absences pile up, students can notice a growing impact on their record. According to Nealley, high absence rates often correlate with lower grades, which negatively affect academic transcripts, and can affect future opportunities, such as college acceptances. To prevent absences and tardies, campus staff oversee the school site to remind students to attend class.
Despite administrators’ well meaning intentions, students have argued that the increase in marked tardies is excessive. Junior Sarala Rosen believes the correlation between tardiness and a lack of learning is minimal.
“I think it’s too annoying to get a call every time I’m late. I’m still there and I still learned. [Getting a call for tardies] makes it seem worse than it is,” Sarala said.
According to an anonymous Archie Williams student, those with mental health issues may become overwhelmed in class, leading them to seek time away from school. With the stress of an intense school environment, some students skip classes to clear their heads.
“I skip because I don’t want to be in class and it is easier for my mind when I’m off campus. It doesn’t affect me when other people aren’t in class so I don’t mind when others skip,” the anonymous freshman student said.
Teachers have used varying approaches to maximize learning when students’ attendance becomes problematic. Diane Peterson, a Physical Education teacher at Archie Williams, values communication with her tardy and absent students, allowing her to work with them to find a solution.
“There’s been a lot of students who have confided in us about reasons as to why they can’t get here on time, and then we help accommodate them however we can,” Peterson said.
As the school year progresses, students continue to adapt to the changing system, and teachers strive to maximize attendance.
