It's the end of the reporting period, and Progress Reports are being sent home. One of the anomalies parents sometimes observe in them is that one of their children may be marked with three or four lates while another will have none. Yet, they know that they both arrived at school at the same time. Usually, the concern is that one teacher is being too strict. (Funny, no one ever seems to worry that perhaps one teacher is being too gracious!) Anyway, it is a problem that we have discussed several times as a staff because we do wish to be as consistent as possible in our standards and expectations.

There are several reasons why there may be a difference in the recording of lates. First, children are different. Whereas one may be dropped off at school and move quickly into their class, change shoes, and take their seats, another may find all kinds of distractions on the way. Second, one teacher may have more parents wanting to speak to them in the morning so that when they actually mark attendance, it is later than 8:30.Third, we have also tried to allow grace for poor road conditions or other situations which cause a large number of students to be late. Depending on the number of students affected in any given classroom, one teacher might give an extra minute or two grace on that morning. Finally, some teachers are simply more consistent in marking the lates in the morning.

If there is a difference in the lates on the report card, it is almost certain that it is due to one of the factors above. One thing that I am quite confident about is that no teacher is marking a student late prior to 8:30. So if there is a difference, the lower number is probably less accurate.

Another thing to keep in mind about the attendance record is that the school does not keep track of which absences or lates are excused or unexcused. We are simply reporting the number for information purposes. Since all students (except some in the high school who drive themselves) are driven to school by parents, lates are usually not the fault of the student but the parent. (Yes, I know some children dawdle, so if that's the case in your home give me a call, and I will be glad to share ways that you can solve the problem….guaranteed!) The late record is simply that, a record, not a penalty.

It is important that students be in school on time each and every day. It is disruptive to the class to be in the middle of prayer and have a student walk in. It is a waste of time for the rest of the class to have to wait while a teacher repeats announcements or instructions each time a student walks in late. (If each child in a class of 15 is late just three times in a reporting period of 45 days, it means that, potentially, every single day could be disrupted.)

Being punctual is a part of showing courtesy which, according to 1Crotinthians 13, is a part of love. As such, it fits into our mission as a Christian school and is a way that we can show love and respect toward one another. It is also an important life skill for the world of work. It is not uncommon for an adult to be sent home and/or fired from work for showing up late.

Finally, there are some differences in the way lates are handled in the high school. Not only must students be on time in the morning, but they must be on time for each class during the day. With seven periods a day and very specific time periods for each one, the potential for disruption grows geometrically. Teachers in high school do not have the flexibility to lengthen or shorten a period because that impacts other classes. So, here students are allowed three lates per teacher per quarter, and then after that we have added an academic penalty of 2% for each one. These do not show up on the report card as a late, however, unless it is a first period class.

Copyright © 1998/99 Airdrie Koinonia Christian School Last Modified: 1999-03-16