Students Speak Out on Tardy Sweeps

Those precious few minutes you have with your friends in between classes may be feeling a little shorter after school administrators recently announced a new policy: periodic tardy sweeps.

Many students walk into class just as the last bell rings, while others take their time to get to class, sometimes arriving one to several minutes late. As a result, Administration is trying to put a stop to the number of students lingering in the hallways. At unexpected times, administrators will now sweep the halls while teachers lock their doors after the final bell. Any student found wandering the halls will have to find an administrator in one of the locker bays and receive a pass to allow them back in class.

“We hope to stress the importance of starting the class promptly and to maximize the learning time from bell to bell.  It will also cut down on hallway traffic and distractions at the start of class,” said Assistant Principal Frank Sampson.

While this new policy may help address the ongoing issue of tardiness, some students beg to differ with it. In recent interviews, many students have expressed strong, negative opinions. Some believe this will only be temporary. “I only believe it’s going to last a few weeks. For instance, the ‘Door Locking’ policy lasted a few weeks. Eventually, the teachers didn’t continue following through with it,” said sophomore Avery Shaw.

Girls, in particular, seem to find the new policy irritating, especially those who use the restroom in between classes. The girls’ restrooms regularly have a small waiting line inside, resulting in girls rushing to class either just before or after the tardy bell, especially if their classes are on two completely different floors. “It’s usually a long line by the 4600 hallway, typically leading outside the bathroom. It really depends what floor you’re on,” said sophomore Alex Valladares.

Granted, there are some downsides to this policy, but whether you want to admit it or not, it may help reduce the number of students wandering the halls. Kids who stroll the hallways at the start of class can certainly be disruptive, whether by being noisy, distracting students receiving instruction, or just delaying the start of lessons. “When large groups of students enter a classroom 30 seconds after the bell, it can be a big disruption to the start of the lesson.  We want to reinforce the importance of punctual classes–classes that begin at the bell,” Sampson said.

Hopefully, this new policy will do more good than harm, and resolve the problem. “Punctuality is an important lesson for life and we hope that this helps reinforce the idea that being on time is an essential part of success,” said Sampson.