This year, Danbury High School implemented a brand new attendance policy to try and reduce the number of students who are consistently late to their classes. The policy, ‘Missed Out,’ requires students to report to their nearest level office to get a pass whenever they are late to class. The office records the passes and then issues consequences to students who are consistently late.

Initially, there was a lot of confusion surrounding the policy. When it was first announced to students and teachers, they were told to report to the auditorium before going to class. As one student, senior Evan Moeun, put it, he believed that “people who are innocent [would be] getting caught in the crossfire.” In addition, there was confusion as to who would be in charge of the consequences, and why the policy had been made in the first place. The delay in its implementation (due to the week of weather-related early dismissals) only further added to the confusion. However, the policy still rolled out, albeit with some changes. Instead of reporting to the auditorium, students are expected to report to their nearest level office to get a Minga pass. Despite the confusion surrounding the policy, data from the first week shows that there is nothing to worry about.

During the first full week of ‘Missed Out,’ there were 1,235 total passes made for students late to class. Despite this, only 72 warnings were given out to students. Fifty-four detentions were issued, and only 17 people were given ISS as a punishment. Six hundred eighty-one of the passes made were by students who were only late once.

According to Mr. Donovan, the policy aims to target students who are habitually late to their classes. The data that the office stores get reset at the end of each week, meaning you will not be punished for being late a few times over the course of the school year. However, teachers can still issue detentions for being tardy beyond the ones from the office. The goal is to supplement teachers, not to have control over their classes, as well as to be fair to students who aren’t constantly late to their classes.