Education Law

Better late than never?

While this phrase might sometimes ring true, school officials don't believe it has any merit in the academic world. BoardBuzz knows how hard it can be to get to school or work in the morning, but after an article in Ohio's The Plain Dealer, we were once again reminded at just how much tardiness can affect a whole school day.

Teachers and faculty in Cleveland schools are treating tardiness like an epidemic because on some school days the percentage of students who show up late can reach the double-digits! A commitee is working to correct the problem, but school board members are gettign antsy because detentions and phone calls home to parents are not working to solve the issue.

The article highlights the experience of one school board member and lawyer who volunteers to teach constitutional law to help 10th grade students pass the social studies portion of state achievement tests, saying,

Lawyer and school board member Natalie Peterson said only three of 26 students were on time for a first-period class she worked with last month at John Marshall High School. Students were still drifting in halfway through the 40-minute session.

"It's very distracting when you're trying to instruct kids and kids are walking in," she said.

Why so tardy? Laziness isn't exactly the answer. Many students are responsible for seeing younger siblings off to school in their single parent households, and others face the problem of limited transportation. Still, school spokesperson John Hairston is looking for solutions that don't involve bribing students with cash or suspending children who already are missing out on classroom time.

BoardBuzz hopes the Cleveland schools find a workable solution to combat tardiness in their district and is proud that their school board members have become so involved in helping the students and fixing the problem.

Full post as published by BoardBuzz: NSBA's Daily Weblog on November 14, 2008 (boomark / email).