Editor’s Note: This piece is one-half of a duo debating the new 1028-19 school year’s attendance policy. The sister-article which argues in opposition can be found here.

As I sat in advisory last year, Upper School English teacher Cory Zeller began to go through her somewhat weekly routine of passing out papers displaying unexcused absences or tardies from class to advisees. As I browsed through my list, I realized that I had unexcused absences from days I couldn’t even remember back to. Because of this, Zeller and I had to work together to go through the calendar and jog our memory of that day in attempt to figure out whether I was really unexcused or if the office had yet to clear me.

Being unable to remember certain days was only one flaw of the old attendance policy.

In previous years, advisors had all attendance records of their advisees and any tardy or absence was to be cleared simply before the end of a semester. This meant that right before the semester ended, handfuls of parents were flooding the Upper School Office’s inbox and voicemail box, excusing their child for absences and/or tardies.

When absences and tardies built up to multiple page lists and parents started to excuse their children in bulk, the excuses became less legitimate and individual to particular occasions. Instead, it turned into a phone call or email where the parents listed off dates where their child “wasn’t late or absent,” without always clarifying to ensure that was actually the case.

The new attendance policy will eliminate the issue of an ever–growing list of absences and tardies by only allowing excuses to be made within three days of the event. Because of this, attendance records are now accessible to students on the portal at all times.

By being able to always view absences and tardies whenever students wish, people will no longer be unable to remember back to certain days where they were “absent” or “tardy.”

With a much shorter duration to clear an absence or tardy, it will become harder for parents and students to be dishonest with excuses. Three days is short enough for teachers to remember whether or not the student was there on time or there at all, opposed to before when they would’ve had to think back to many weeks or even a few months before.

In years past, students relied heavily on their advisors to notify them when they had an unexcused absence or tardy. The change of policy now puts all the pressure on the student to have self reliance and check the portal in a timely manner. The new policy is teaching students responsibility.

Although there has been lots of controversy about the new attendance policy, it ultimately has the capability to make students more honest and responsible.