Phoenix school using tardiness boards to promote punctuality
Nov 19, 2019, 4:05 AM | Updated: 12:13 pm
(KTAR News Photo/Griselda Zetino)
PHOENIX — A Phoenix school is taking a direct approach to combat tardiness.
Palm Lane Elementary School adopted tardiness boards at the start of the school year that display the number of students who are late each week.
Principal Stephanie Ward said the boards help with accountability — and get students to arrive on time.
“We thought it was a great way to let parents know the amount of kids we’ve had absent or tardy this week,” Ward told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday.
Ward said the school, located near 67th Avenue and McDowell Road, decided to adopt the idea after a faculty member saw it being done at another school.
One of the main purposes of the initiative is to make sure students are at school for the daily free breakfast, which begins in classrooms five minutes before the start of class.
Classes that have perfect attendance are also announced during the following morning’s announcements.
Ward said faculty connects with students and parents who are frequently late to help provide solutions, whether it be a clean uniform or an alarm clock.
“We’ve had parents who have brought their kids in late and they’ve been like, ‘Oh no, now I’m gonna be one of those numbers on there,'” Ward said. “It’s made a connection with our staff and our parents.”
KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Griselda Zetino contributed to this report.