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We know that because we don’t bus our kids to school our parents have the additional burden
of driving kids to campus. It’s unfortunate, but it’s simply part of the deal when you make the
decision to attend a school of choice rather than your neighborhood school. However a child
gets to school, it is imperative that the child be here on time.
Please familiarize yourself with the tardy rules listed below and plan accordingly.
- The front and east doors open at 7:45 AM. East doors close at 8:00 AM. If a child goes
through either door at 7:59 AM, he is going to be late. Plan on getting your child
through the door by 7:55 AM to allow him time to get into class and into his seat, ready
to learn.
- School Starts @ 8:00… That means kids need to be in their classroom, in their
seats at 8:00 AM, not walking in the east door, or at their locker, or in the hall talking
with a friend. When a child walks into class late, it disrupts and distracts.
- Any child arriving after 8:00 needs to go to the office to get a tardy pass.
- If a child enters the building by 8:00 AM but doesn’t get to her seat on time, she is
tardy, and will be recorded as tardy by her homeroom teacher.
Consequences will be applied per trimester; at the start of each trimester, kids start with
a clean slate.
The first tardy will earn no consequence.
Starting with the second tardy, children will serve lunch detention the same day they are
tardy.
At the fourth (4th) tardy, a child will be issued a demerit, and a letter will be sent home.
Each subsequent tardy will earn a demerit.
Upon receiving the third (3rd) demerit for being tardy, a parent must accompany the
child to school in the morning for a mandatory meeting to discuss the situation. An
attendance plan will be developed which outlines the conditions that must be met and
consequences that will follow if the tardies do not cease. Significant consequences may
be assigned, depending on the response to the attendance plan.
Excused and unexcused tardies
There many conditions that may contribute to being late to school; there are few reasons which
are accepted for an “excused” tardy. These are:
- prearranged appointment such as doctor or dentist. (Parents are encouraged to make
such appointments after the school day is over whenever possible.)
- Sudden illness (e.g., child gets a bloody nose on the way to school)
- Extenuating circumstances, such as being involved in an auto accident on the way to
school, or a major traffic snarl due to an accident.
- In cases of severe weather which is bad enough to cause significant driving delays, but
not bad enough to close school, the school typically does not mark tardies. This also
holds for major traffic delays caused by accidents on one of the main streets used by
many of our parents to get to school (e.g., Alameda). In all other cases the tardy will
be unexcused.
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Some of our parents have slipped into the habit of simply calling from their cell phone
while they pull into the parking lot at 8:05, saying they are late and please excuse the
child’s tardy. The phone call is appreciated so that we are aware the child will be in
school shortly, but the tardy will not be excused unless it meets the criteria noted
above.
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