Tardies hit an all time high

Student+receives+late+slip.%0AIf+students+are+late+they+lose+valuable+education%2C+says+Mr.+Conacher.+

Chloe Austin

Student receives late slip. “If students are late they lose valuable education,” says Mr. Conacher.

Faith Tumbos, News Reporter

With the new addition of school starting at 7:20 am instead of 7:30 am the tardies have increased with a record high. Students have up to 17 tardies from the last 84 days since school has started. There are 1,500 students enrolled with 13% of those students late to their first periods almost every day.

In the last month, 13% of students were late to their first periods. Some teachers were asked why they thought students were coming to school later than others. Some believe that the parents are responsible for the student’s tardiness, considering they drove them to school. 

Others thought that the students were responsible for their own tardiness because they spent so much time on their devices or did not pay attention to their alarms. “The students tell me that they don’t wake up on time because they hit snooze repeatedly on their phone alarms. They also admit that they stay up late on their phones all night and into the early morning,” said Mr. Crisafi, an English teacher at Don Lugo. 

Another cause of the increase in tardiness could be due to time management and the strategy of parents. “There are different areas for students to be dropped off and if they know there is traffic at 7:05 they can plan accordingly,” said Ms. Hill, an English teacher at Don Lugo. There are other ways to reduce being late to class by finding alternative places to get dropped off or by coming to school earlier.

There are different areas for students to be dropped off and if they know there is traffic at 7:05 they can plan accordingly.

— Ms. Hill

Students being late to class has also become a nuisance to teachers as they have to reiterate their directions for the late students. It becomes a constant disturbance and can take away time from learning. “When a student is late they missed the instructions or if I am showing a video they already have missed the majority of the video,” said Mr. Conacher. Students’ ability to be on time can benefit them in the long run with education and better habits for their future, learning time management and planning ahead can greatly reduce a large number of tardies and ensure that Lugo students are receiving the education they need to be successful.