Consequences for Skipping Class at FHS

Consequences+for+Skipping+Class+at+FHS

Anika Patchala, Writer

Why do Students Skip Class?

Ms. Weber, an assistant principal for student services at FHS stated, “I get a referral for a class cut about two or three times a week.”

Approximately half of American students who regularly skip class use poor excuses such as “It’s boring” or “I didn’t feel like going.”  Some believe class is not worth their time, or skip it to sleep in. Although it is irrefutable to say that high school students do not have a lot to balance in their daily life, skipping class is not an adroit solution.

What is the process of a student getting reported at FHS?

  1. At teacher will mark the student absent.
  2. The Secretaries will compare the daily attendance with in-class attendance and generate a list through aspen.
  3. If a student is present all day but is absent from their third-period class, then they go on the “cut list.”
  4. One of the Liaisons investigate each of the kids listed on the cut list and talk to teachers. The name will be crossed off in situations like if the students came in with a late pass after attendance was submitted.
  5. If a student is cutting class without a valid excuse, the teacher has the right to give the student a zero for the work that they have missed.
  6. The Liaison will write referrals in aspen. 
  7. The Assistant Principals will then talk to students who are cutting class.
  8. Depending on the reason for the class cut, students will either receive detention or an academic extension which will increase if the student continues to cut classes.

Ms. Weber emphasized, “The best way to prevent a student from skipping class is for a guardian or a teacher to develop a relationship with the student so that you can understand why they wouldn’t want to go to a certain class.”

How can cutting class affect a student in the future?

  • The overall grade in a particular class will reduce
  • The student can accumulate detentions that can eventually lead to suspension
  • Skipping Class is recorded in aspen here at FHS but is not disclosed to colleges
  • If a student would like the transfer schools, the records will be shared  
  • Most colleges have different attendance policies, but the most common thing is that if you miss three classes, you fail the course

Ms. Weber stated, “I definitely think hearing the reasons why students skip class sometimes and helping them understand alternatives to skipping have been effective with some students, but some continue to repeat cutting class. It’s also a safety issue, so I try to explain to students that they need to be where they’re supposed to be.”