Tardy Policy

The morning bell rings at 8:25, and class teachers begin their morning activities with their students promptly at that time. We place great importance on timeliness and very much appreciate parents doing everything they can to get their children to school 5-10 minutes before the bell rings so that the children have time to land. Late arrivals are a distraction and affect the rhythm of the morning for the teacher and class.  Arriving late does not feel good for the child either.

Any child arriving after 8:25 must stop in the office to get a late slip. The office designates a late arrival as either an excused tardy or an unexcused tardy. The tardy slip the child receives is marked either excused or unexcused. Excused tardies include dentist or doctor appointments, family emergencies, or a car breakdown on the way to school. Please send in a note to your child’s teacher or call the office to explain excused absences. Unexcused tardies cover a range of possibilities from “I overslept” to “I couldn’t find my homework,” etc. The child hands the tardy slip to the class teacher when they enter the classroom.

Protocol for Children in Grades 1-5:

  • If a child receives 5 unexcused tardy slips within a semester, parents receive an email reminding them of our school tardy policy.

  • At the 7th unexcused tardy, the Administrator calls parents to discuss solutions to the tardiness issue.

  • With the 10th unexcused tardy, the Administrator calls a meeting with the parents.

Protocol for Children in Grades 6-8:

  • If a child receives 5 unexcused tardy slips within one semester, parents receive an email reminding them of our school tardy policy.

  • At the 6th unexcused tardy, parents are notified that the next tardy will result in detention.

  • With the 7th unexcused tardy, parents are notified that their child will be having a detention and is bringing home a detention acknowledgment form for them to sign. The form requiring a parent signature acknowledges the student will stay after school to perform 45 minutes of community service, administered by the office.