“My overall message is that the most important thing a student can do is be present in class. We’re not helping students if we make it easy for them to opt out.”
That was East’s principal Kenneth Proulx, speaking on this school year’s new attendance policy.
“We didn’t actually change anything in policy,” said Proulx. “We just changed procedurally how we were going to keep track and how we were going to hold all four parties, the students, parents, teachers and administrators, accountable.”
The official policy was announced a few weeks before the school year started, encouraging parents to promote student success by following the new procedures for excusing absences. However, the bulk of changes in procedures involve the students.
“One of the biggest changes I’ve noticed is that when students miss school, they need teachers of the classes they missed to sign a slip and hand it back to the front office. This is probably to ensure communication between students and their teachers,” said sophomore Gilly Malawsky.
Some other procedure updates require students to carry their student IDs and a pink pass when traveling through the hallways during class, a rule that will now be enforced through hallway sweeps. Furthermore, students with free periods are instructed to report to the Alternative Learning Center, a teacher’s classroom, or the library with permission, and are no longer allowed to be unsupervised on campus.
The policy came following various attendance issues last year, involving both an increasing number of absences and a lack of accountability. Over the summer, the administrative team created the policy and outlined their two main focuses, academics and safety.
“When you look at research, the number one indicator for success in school is the direct instruction that you get while physically being in class…[and] as we analyzed data throughout the school year, there was a strong correlation between the students we identified as being at risk of failing classes and having attendance problems,” said Proulx.
East students and staff adjust to new attendance policy
