A Student's Perspective: Foothill's New Tardy Policy has Students Sprinting to Class, Dropping Wallets

Monday through Friday we, as students, have to endure a long day that starts with waking up early and continues to another six hours of listening, thinking, and doing.

The constant reminder of the alarm clock every morning tells us that the day ahead is most likely going to be filled with long lectures and tiring class work.

However it is a routine and it is something that we have just learned to push ourselves through and to make the most of it. Correction: it was routine. Let’s add one more thing to our long list of everyday tasks: being on time.

Turns out, has grown increasingly frustrated with number of students being late to class all the time and distracting those who are always prompt and ready to learn.  

So, Foothill took a stance and it’s called the Tardy Sweep. Don’t let the cute title confuse you — these sweeps are harsh.

Basically, during any passing period throughout the day, the administration will randomly come on the loudspeaker and announce that a 'Tardy Sweep' is taking place.

Any students who do not arrive to class on time are locked out and gathered up by surrounding staff and administration, where they are taken to a building and are given a detention. Forget routine, these Tardy Sweeps have added a whole new level of stress to students every day.  

They could happen once a week to twice every day. But it gets better.

Not only are students taking the sweeps seriously, they will go to any lengths in order to get to class on time.

If you were to watch the five minutes that take place during an average tardy sweep, you’d probably find the situation quite comical. Students literally will sprint to class, and those who have decided that there is no hope of getting to class on time will run to the nearest bathroom and hide until the sweep is over.

I witnessed a friend of mine loose her license, school ID, and debit card in an attempt to arrive to class on time (don’t worry, she got them back).

The school is trying to teach kids a lesson, which is quite plainly to arrive on time. However it’s not as simple as it sounds. Everyone knows students always sleep through their alarm clocks or “accidentally” press the snooze button one too many times.

It happens, and students, me included, are late because of it. Plus, enduring a whole fifty five minutes of not telling your best friend the happenings over the weekend makes passing period so much more opportune and sacred. It’s so innocent to get caught up in a conversation with your friend during passing period and simply lose track of time. How else are we supposed to make it through the day?

Plus, some of us have the misfortune of having one class located on one side of the school and the other on the complete opposite side, making arriving on time nearly impossible.

All I can say is I have steered clear of these terrible sweeps but it looks like students must take note to add a whole new level of timeliness to their everyday routine.

What do you think of the Tardy Sweep program at Foothill? Do you think it's too harsh? Tell us in the comments.