Archie Williams combats student tardiness with new robocall system
The Archie Williams tardy policy changed on March 16, to begin calling home for students who are late to or absent in class.
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Tardiness at Archie Williams High School has developed into a severe issue this school year. After the relaxation of the tardy policy post pandemic, Archie Williams students have grown accustomed to arriving late to classes, regardless of time or subject, creating a liability for the school. In hopes of combating this dilemma, the Archie Williams administration is implementing various changes to the current attendance system.
According to Vice Principal Nate Severin, tardiness is becoming a prominent problem in Archie Williams, and finding a solution is the administration’s new priority.
“Attendance has been more challenging, and it’s been more difficult for students,” said Severin. “I know that now that we have our dean of students who really focuses on attendance. Now we are looking at that data more closely.”
At the end of the 2022-2023 school year discussions regarding a change in disciplinary regulation began, but an executive decision on the tardy policy wasn’t made until recently. As of March 16, if a student is absent from a class, their parent or guardian will receive a robocall informing them of their absence. The Archie Williams administration is looking into administering detentions to students who have five tardies in a grading period, although this is an extreme.
“Similar to the auto call or email that comes when there’s unexcused absences. We are planning and hoping to start that similar strategy for tardies,” Severin said.
Since the robocall system’s implementation, students at Archie Williams have been voicing their opinions. Senior Sam Scherotter thinks that it’s important for parents to know if their child is tardy to their classes.
“Your parents would probably want to know where you are, if you’re not at school. Until you’re 18 I feel like it makes sense because your parents are legally responsible for you,” Sam said.
Severin also agrees that informing parents is the best way to communicate the tardiness issue.
“[The robo calls] are really just there to make sure that parents are being informed in the same way that they are for unexcused absences, because our goal is to use parents as a support. As somebody who lives with their kid, they can help them create better habits to get to class on time,” Severin said.
The Archie Williams community is unaware if the robocall system will be permanent, as it is subject to change in following weeks.
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