"It sucks."
Coming from a teenager, these words can refer to just about anything: homework, curfew, the state proficiency exam ... (baby-sitting, the Cartoon Network, the Bush White House, Vegas having only three congressional seats, a vacuum) ... even education itself.
This Western High student, who looks a real-life version of Milhouse from The Simpsons, is commenting on the suckage factor of a new, more punitive tardy policy—Timeliness is Expected, or TIE—started weeks ago at the West Bonanza campus.
Works like this: Little Johnny (or Little Debbie) is late for school. A notice is sent to the parents, who must come to school the next day to sign their child in. If they can't make it the next day, cool, or the day after, still cool—students are automatically re-enrolled. A third parental no-show—not cool. There's now a formal request for a required parent conference and a mandatory meeting with the dean.
Just another way for the Man to keep them down, say other Western students gathered on the edge of the campus on a recent weekday afternoon. Talk among them is of launching a coup to untie TIE.
"We're gonna write letters," says a lanky, curly-haired member of the tardiness insurgency. "It's bull."
Maybe. But it's also working.
Clark County School District spokeswoman Pat Nelson says one high school has cut tardies by 70 percent. "This is a not a district-wide policy. It's a school-based decision. We want kids in school and starting school on time," Nelson says.
And isn't anything that keeps students in class beneficial? Our growing-like-an-ant-colony, middle-of-the-pack-on-test-scores school district ain't exactly churning out Rhodes Scholars.
At Western, the policy's impact has been both immediate and enormous. You can see its physical manifestation in the hustling feet and swaying backpacks of students hotfooting it to class.
"Who wants to have a parent sign you in?" says a mop-haired boy wearing a black shirt with graphics of a heavy-metal band. Yes, the horror.
Pete Peña, Western's assistant principal of discipline, says the dean's office referrals have plummeted from 4,200 in the 2004--'05 academic year to 41 through October 14, putting Western on pace for less than 1,000 this year.
"Tardies are a major problem. In the curriculum aspect, they disrupt the learning environment. (With TIE), we've eliminated some of those problems. We've also reduced the number of fights and verbal confrontations in the hallways," Peña says. "And we do make modifications to the program. We don't issue tardies if buses are late or there's bad weather. Overall, the atmosphere and climate on campus is wonderful."
Peña insists the reticence some parents and many students felt has melted. "We informed parents via newsletters, we gave students a chance to read handouts of the policy and we gave everyone some time to review things before implementing it. Three parents complained. But after we explained to them why we were doing this, they left satisfied."
As Greg Wolfram sees it, the more time students have in class, the less time they have to get in trouble and the less energy teachers have to devote to adjusting for late-birds, the more they have to teach.
"If you called any school and asked about the major discipline issues they have, one of the top three is tardies," Wolfram says. "We want to start instruction as soon as the late bell rings. This way, teachers can start on time and better control their classes."
It's a bit early to gauge the impact on students' grades—it's only been a month. But Wolfram says the effect on teachers' attitudes has been phenomenal. Buy-in really sold administrators, which has rubbed off on students who realize the policy isn't fly-by-night, but the new law of the land, er, campus.
"(As professionals), if we are late for work, we can get dinged for that," Wolfram says.
Dawn Shupe is the principal at Bonanza High, which has a modified version of TIE. Goes like this: Little Bobby or Little Bonnie is late. They write their name and student number on a slip. Teacher signs it. Parents come in the next morning to sign them in. Tardies number four and five earn detention time. No. 6 and to the office you and your child go—to discuss further discipline.
"We've had almost no recidivism ... few kids are on their second or third tardy," Shupe says. "Parents express more concern when they don't know about a problem or something impacting their children. We've had a tremendous response from the students, too. We had 200 kids tardy on a given day last year. This year, only 20, so we're really happy."
Best thing about the tardy policy, Shupe says ... (keeping students under their thumbs, inconveniencing them in any way possible) ... is that high schools can tweak it to fit their needs.
""We have a saying at Bonanza, 'Time in class, time on task,'" Shupe says. "If kids are not here, we can't teach them."