Return of bells brings a new tardy policy
By LOUISE PLATTER – Web Writer
To accompany the bells, Clarke Central High School’s administration team has created a new policy for dealing with tardiness.
The new Clarke Central High School tardy policy increases the punishments for being late to class. Info Graphic by Shari Armour.
Bells signifying the beginning and end of class have returned to Clarke Central High School, but come with new consequences for tardy students.
“I was a big advocate of no bells, because I’ve always said, at no time in your life when you go to college will you have bells to change class. It’s your responsibility to get from one place to the other,” CCHS Principal Dr. Robbie P. Hooker said.
The bells were removed for testing during the spring of 2011 and were not used at all during the 2011-12 school year.
However, according to Hooker, this change lead to ambiguity about whether or not students were actually late to class and an increase in school tardies.
“My main thought was teaching the kids responsibility. Apparently I was wrong and the staff was glad to hear that bells came back,” Hooker said.
The bells can now be heard at the end, five minutes before, and at the start of each class. The new tardy policy can be found posted in the cafeteria and in the hallways.
“Now teachers can be more consistent in marking a kid tardy where before it was arbitrary. Now the bell is ringing—there’s no question about that,” Hooker said.
CCHS teachers are glad that the bells have returned, making it easier for them to know exactly when class begins and ends.
“The time on my computer is off and two minutes makes a big difference, because I use every moment (of class),” CCHS math department teacher Valerie Russell said.
The return of the bells is coupled with a new tardy policy. After five tardies, parents will hear from the school. After 10 tardies parents will hear from the school again, and students will be required to attend one after-school session. The punishments increase in severity as the number rises.
The administration team hopes that, with the new policies and bells, students will be more likely to attend class on time.
“You’re no longer in elementary school. You’re closer to being an adult than a child and I would hope that you’re more mature, and that we could give you more freedom,” Hooker said.
