Attendance is a consistent, overwhelming threat in a student’s day-to-day life with the new attendance policy. This year, there is a cap on how many absences and tardies a student can have before they begin to face repercussions, varying from confiscation of a parking pass to getting a D- in a class they could have potentially been acing.

According to the MHS 2018-19 student handbook, after surpassing seven tardies, a student’s parking pass can be revoked for the remainder of the semester, up to the remainder of the year. After seven absences in one class, a student will not receive a grade that reflects the grade they earned in that class, but instead receive a “passing” grade of D- that does contribute to the student’s GPA. It is stated that if a student reaches seven absences, he/she can discuss how to receive a reflective grade for the class with the teacher. If the student is still given a “passing” grade but feels they deserved higher, he/she can discuss this with the assistant principal PRIOR to final grades.

This, for many students, has morphed into somewhat of a living nightmare. “Senioritis” was a disease cured by force for many seniors excited to be able to take days off. Although this problem does somewhat resolve the issue of people skipping their classes, this new policy poses a problem for those with medical issues and other serious matters that cause them to miss school.

Parent call-ins are NOT exempt from this policy; only doctors’ notes and school-related activities are counted as “excused” absences. For many low-income families, this policy has become a huge bump in the road. For most, a doctor’s visit every time a child has a stomach ache is completely out of the question, especially so with insurance costs rising significantly. A student should be able to receive the grade that he/she deserves overall, regardless of attendance. Giving a D- to an A student is completely unfair and has proven to be nothing but another worry on the pre-existing list of stresses high school students have to go through every day.