First hour:

You wake up to your fifth alarm blaring in your face. You’ve snoozed all of the others, and now the one titled “BRO WAKE UP” screams from your phone. It’s 7:35, and class starts in 10 minutes. You try to get ready, but when you rush out to your car, it won’t turn on. 7:40 now. You try again and again, but the old car refuses to start up. When it finally revs its frail little engine, it’s 7:50, and the parking lot is full. Tardy. 

Second hour:

You’re still half asleep at this point, and coffee sounds like heaven in a cup. All you have in your pocket is $2 and a dream. If you’re late, the teacher probably won’t mark you tardy since it’s just announcements…right? You run down to get a Twix cold brew at Pioneer Perks, and after that first sip, you scramble to get to class, thinking you’ll be there on time. Then the door to the class opens right into you, dumping the remains of your coffee all over your clothes and the floor. Tardy.

Third hour:

You have six minutes to go from APUSH to Chemistry; easy-peasy! But, uh-oh, chugging that whole cold brew wasn’t the best plan. Maybe you should stop at the restroom on the way. You stumble into the science first floor restroom and…BOOM. A long line of teenagers are smuggling their precious phones in the stalls, vying for the chance to snap their friends back. Time runs out as the line depletes at a trickling rate. Finally, a stall opens, but the bell rings. Tardy. 

Fourth hour:

Straight to Lit and Comp. You WON’T be late this time. It’s a short walk. You pack up your stuff as quickly as possible and run out the door. Everything’s going fine! You may actually make it on time…CRASH. All of your homework falls out of your backpack in the middle of the English hallway. You look like a loser scrambling to pick up colorful math packets and dried-out highlighters. Tardy.

Fifth hour:

You start your journey to your next class, feeling the onset of a horrible headache. The nurse’s office is on the way to your fifth hour. Maybe you could stop and get some Ibuprofen? You walk in, but the nurse is on the phone with a parent sending a kid home for a mysterious illness. How is that more important than your headache? Your mind wanders to images of lice and pesky germs (the last thing you need). After the nurses’ lengthy TMI call, it’s too late. Tardy. 

Sixth hour:

Finally, lunch arrives. You hop in your car and head straight to Chick-fil-A. The heavenly aroma of nuggets and fries takes your mind off the mishaps of the day. As you drink the last sip of your lemonade, your eye catches the clock. You have five minutes to be back in class. The countdown to your sixth hour begins as you drive back, but every light turns red right as you pull up. Once you arrive at the line of cars, you find a parking spot, but it’s the tightest parallel parking spot known to man. Tardy. 

Seventh hour:

Alright. It’s the last class. You WON’T be late again. But uh oh… your sixth hour French teacher wants to talk to you after class. You stay back as you stare at the clock, waiting for the interrogation to end, especially since you have Ceramics next, which is conveniently located on the opposite side of campus. Once your teacher is done talking, you start the long walk to the art hallway, but that final passing period bell has already rung. You’ve been marked tardy for every class. Just another day as a victim of the attendance policy. 

The KHS attendance policy has changed plenty over the years. Being late to class often results in students receiving a “tardy,” and according to the KHS handbook, after getting 10 or more tardies, consequences begin. According to the U.S Department of Education, MO’s rate of student’s “constant absenteeism,” also described as being late or absent on a constant basis, was 21% in 2022. Since the pandemic, that rate has gone up about 50%. Simple things that may be out of a student’s control can result in being marked absent or tardy, such as car problems, bathroom lines, after-class talks with teachers and other daily inconveniences. Every tardy counts, and now it seems to be too easy to get marked late.