How often are you late to class? Probably more often than you should be. Lately, the deans at Rocky have been noticing the bad habits of students. Rocky is now at an all time high for the number of students coming late to school. Because of this issue, late students are now required to sign in at either the front door or the parking lot doors, typically known as the “senior” or “cafeteria” doors.

Many students do not know the procedure that they are supposed to follow when coming in late to class. If a student is late to class, he or she needs to go to the front office and check in through the computer. Students are required to provide their last name and ID number. This system does not correlate with the classroom attendance, but provides a record of who is in the building. Classroom teachers will take attendance in the usual fashion. The check-in system in the front office right now is for the safety of students and to know who is in the school.

It is not difficult to find a fellow peer to let a student in the doors. This is against the rules of Poudre School District. Letting any person into the school without having them check in at the front office can lead to bad things. All people need to check in with the front office before entering to keep the Rocky community safe.

These bad habits of students are at an all time high and the deans have had enough of students breaking the rules, so a new system is being put into place. As some students may have already seen, there is a laptop to check in at the “senior doors.” These doors will now stay open ten minutes after class starts.

If a student walks in these doors late, they will be required to put his or her last name, ID number, and reason for being late. The reason you give for being late is solely so the deans have an idea as to why so many students are tardy.

The deans will look at the reasons for students being late and if there is a track record for a student being late, the deans will look at this and take the proper steps for an individual in the future. Mr. Stapleton said, “This system is being put in place for the safety of students. We are avoiding a tragic event by amping up our security levels.”

On Wednesday, October 17th, the deans tested this new method. Between 9:00 am and 9:20 am, 115 students were late. The reasons vary for students being late. Some students rely on a parent for a ride and cannot physically get to school on time. Others simply do not care. The deans are taking all of these reasons into consideration and carefully analyzing each student’s situation and helping where they can.

Students need to know about the new security measures that are being taken for their safety and they need to understand that Rocky will do whatever it takes to keep the students safe. If any student has questions, feel free to stop by the office and talk to the Student Resource Officer or one of the deans. Don’t be tardy ‘Bos.