Getting stuck in a tardy lockout is stressful for students at Liberty High School, with many students in the district experiencing tardy lockouts. It is a time after the passing period where if students are not in class by the 5 minutes they have, it is an automatic detention. Some people think that this is fair because of students who try to be late or converse during passing, but Raewyn Sims, a freshman here at Liberty High School tells us that they cause an unnecessary amount of pressure.
“I don’t really like them because I always have to rush to get to class. If I’m coming from the portables and having to dash through kids, it is a lot of work. Especially because people walk slowly, like to talk, and block pathways” (Raewyn Sims, 9th)
Hearing what Raewyn said, acknowledges the fact that some students do not try to be late on purpose. It is a large campus with an overwhelming amount of students each day. That being said, students should not be punished for something that they cannot control.
Raewyn is not the only student here that has personal issues with tardy lockouts. Symphony Sledge, another freshman at Liberty High School, explains the difference between tardy lockouts at different schools. She said that during middle school they had more grace: your first offense, you don’t get a detention. They would give you 3 tardy lockouts before receiving In-House suspension or detention in other CCSD schools.
“I walk to school everyday and sometimes It’s hard to wake up, so when I get to school and have to instantly go through a tardy lockout, it’s stressful.” (Symphony Sledge, 9th)
CCSD Schools don’t even make acceptances for kids who have to walk when the weather changes so rapidly. Some parts of Henderson reach 100 degrees in the earlier months of the school year, while also reaching below 30 degrees in the winter. A lot of families culd also face struggle and cannot always afford to take their kids to school every morning, whether it be working extra hours or just not having the means of transportation. Putting extra stress on a student who’s already going through a rough time can add on to it.
You’ve heard about students who dislike tardy lockouts and wished that they were handled differently, but what about students who appreciate them? Freshman Camila Herzog states how she likes them personally and how they help push students to get to class faster. they also help clear the hallways from people who stand and block the way for others who are trying to go to their classes.
“I feel like the detention after the first tardy lock out is good because it basically is giving a warning that if you keep getting to class late you’re going to have to keep going to detention” (Camila Herzog, 9th)
Interviewing students who have different opinions can open eyes for other students at Liberty who only stick to one thing. Allowing students to talk about how they feel can make a small differene the more they bring up the issue. After each interview, Raewyn, Symphony, and camila wanted to give advice to anyone who do not take tardy lockouts seriously. The main takeaways are: “If you keep it pushing and stop talking to your friends you won’t have to worry about being late or dealing tardy lockouts”, “Stop worrying about saying hi to your friends and be prepared to say hi to your work”, and “Hurry and get your behind to class!”
