After a couple years of lenient rules and regulations, schools have started to once again buckle down on policies. Students are quickly learning that dress code violations will be enforced, and there will be stricter consequences for tardies and absences this year. Teachers and administration are enforcing many new and old policies like “tardy sweeps,” keypads, a more restrictive dress code, the 15 minute bathroom rule and the new Code of Conduct.
In order to reduce the amount of tardies this year, the school has brought back tardy sweeps. Students who are not in their classrooms when the bell rings will be given a slip officially marking them tardy. Problems such as car trouble, oversleeping and traffic are not excused. Five or more tardies will result in punishments such as Saturday School, After School Detention (ASD), In School Suspension (ISS), or Out of School Suspension (OSS). Some students are in agreement that this is a helpful policy.
“It helps keep everyone in class, especially the people who hang out in the hallways,” junior Sydney Konkler said.
During the previous school year, there were countless issues with students leaving the classroom and not returning. To prevent this issue, sign out sheets are still required in every single classroom in order to keep students from leaving class for long periods of time.
“I believe that the attendance sign out for the bathroom is necessary just because of all the stuff that has happened in the last couple years; there have been people that have destroyed some of the school property, and stuff, and it gives us a way to keep track of it, make sure we know what’s going on at all times,” senior Tyler Wood said.
To ensure student safety district-wide, keypads have been installed at the front door of each building to unlock the door. Students must enter in their lunch number using the buttons on these keypads. Students only have access from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Due to student complaints, time between classes has been extended to six minutes to accommodate the new keypads.
Several students consider this improvement necessary as it makes them feel safer.
“All in all, it makes it really difficult for people who should not be on campus to get in,” junior Andrew Greene said.
Others believe these new installments are an inconvenience.
“They’re not on every door, so it’s kind of annoying when you have to go around the building to get into the building,” junior Rebecca Brock said.
As a result of cell phone issues last year, the phone rules are strictly being enforced this year. More teachers are now asking students to place their phones in the phone pockets provided in the classroom to avoid temptation. Multiple violations of this rule will result in confiscation of the phone as well as parent involvement.
This year the dress code is being more imposed and teachers are making sure they keep an eye out for anyone that breaks these policies.
“Professionally I like them. I think your bodies should be covered to some extent, I do understand that everything out in the real world is lax, but I think in school you need to dress for success,” math teacher Heather Bullard said.
Some students feel like the rules can have a negative impact.
Even though teachers are happy about these rules, some students seem to have an issue with these changes.
“I think the policies are aimed at certain people,” sophomore Avaclaire Daly said.
Principal Kevin Spainhour believes the policies have been well-received by the school community.
“It took awhile for us to kind of get in the groove of school, coming off the pandemic, and so this year has been really encouraging, I think, from talking to teachers, they feel the same way, that students are more used to kind of the expectations, and we also tried to put some things in place that would help with that,” he said.
Spainhour also commented on his effort to make students feel heard.
“There is an availability and an openness that I want our students to feel like they can always come to people for support. But one very visible way that we most recently listened to students was adding the extra minute onto class changes.”
Despite the various impacts these changes have had, administrators believe these new regulations will be beneficial to encourage organization and safety.