For the last two years I have kept my GPA high while being involved in sports, taking on a job, and spending time with friends and family. Missing school and having fear of my grade being deducted due to the attendance policy just added to the stress. Not only was the old attendance policy questionable, but I believe it was unreasonable. The old policy stated that if you had three tardies in a class your grade would be deducted by a third of a letter grade. I believe the new attendance policy will be better for students.
“Logically, one would think that the threat of reducing a student’s grade would work. However, it didn’t produce the results we desired,” stated Assistant Principal Jeff Erickson from Minnetonka High School.
Much like St. Francis, Minnetonka had a similar attendance policy where they would deduct a student’s grade for having a certain amount of tardies and absences. Minnetonka found this policy was ineffective. It was failing kids just because of attendance, instead of their knowledge and skills in the class.
While attendance may have improved under the old policy at St. Francis, it seems  questionable to tie grades to attendance. If a student can be gone and can prove mastery of a skill through homework completion and test scores, it seems they shouldn’t be penalized for missing a day – especially if the “unexcused” was because a busy parent didn’t call it in.
In addition, students already struggling with attendance would get further behind and have double the stress. Sitting all day in Saturday school did nothing to improve student learning. The old policy seemed like double-jeopardy because students who may have struggled for a D- would automatically fail. There are already natural consequences to missing class – and one of those is failure.
The new policy allows a student four tardies in a class and results in a lunch detention, which in no way interferes with Saturday work schedules or personal time. Administration has taken it upon themselves to contact parents and discuss attendance issues, which should help those with chronic absences and not affect their ability to pass a class.
Finally, the new policy removes the stress level of the potential grade deduction and focuses on improving the behavior and helping the student, instead punishing them.