Perhaps one of the most impactful policies regarding students’ grades, the incentive card attendance policy also remains one of the most widely unknown. The policy states that if a student has more than two unexcused absences in a class period, he or she would not be eligible to use a black or gold incentive card in for grade forgiveness in that class period.

Mrs. Tait, a chemistry teacher and enforcer of the policy per administrative rules, weighs in on the topic. “The policy was set in place after exam exemptions were taken out and attendance used to be tied to exam exemptions, so [it was put in place] as an effort to keep the attendance percentage high…,” she comments.

However, the controversy arises not in the policy itself, but in its inconsistent enforcement. “That’s causing concern among students because either they aren’t familiar with the policy or the teachers that are following the policy tend to get vilified…” The ambiguity surrounding the policy has proven problematic, resulting in conflicts around the ends of grading periods when students have been relying on their incentive cards and they are unexpectedly rendered useless. Establishing these guidelines early in the year can sidestep difficult circumstances such as these. “…the administration and teachers and parents and students, they all got together to make that policy. That’s the unfortunate situation: that if the administration doesn’t put something down in writing, then teachers can do whatever they want. Even when it is down in writing and teachers aren’t following it, then that causes problems.”

Kassadie Nieto, senior, remarks on the situation. “I don’t think it’s fair,” she says, “because people miss school for a variety of circumstances but it shouldn’t invalidate the work they did to get the card.”

Mrs. Tait and other teachers offer other compensations in their classes such as test corrections to benefit those that have acquired more than the allowed number of absences

Hopefully in this new school year, awareness of this potential conflict is raised and students and teachers are able to come to an agreement to avoid future animosity.