The start of a new school year means taking previous problems and finding ways to solve them. That’s why the Lincoln High School administration has decided to implement a new late policy and system for those trickling in after the first bell.

The most significant change is a ticket system that allows a late pass to be easily printed when a student types in their ID number. It connects to Skyward, automatically marking the student tardy in the attendance system. It also feeds the information that prints on the ticket, which tells students how many tardies they have.

“The students come in, they punch in their numbers, similar to the way they access lunch,” Assistant Principal Nicole Lanni said. “It prints out an automatic ticket. It tells the student’s name, gives the period they’re going to, and what time they signed in.” 

A Google form was the original sign-in process at the front office, but it took too much time and students found ways of avoiding it. The new system is a simple keypad that is much easier than the previous methods, and allows LHS to streamline the process. 

This new process has proven to be very effective so far, with many complimenting the swift improvement. It has notably improved the amount of tardies from previous years.  

“I like it more because it’s quicker in the mornings. There used to always be a big line,” senior Lily Larivee said.

There is also a new rule that prohibits late students from bringing in drinks from places such as Starbucks or Dunkin’. It is now a requirement that all students throw out their refreshments at the door before entering the building. This is part of an initiative to encourage kids to get to school on time in the morning.

“We are prioritizing school and we want to make sure that we’re supporting kids academically, socially, and emotionally, the whole picture, but stopping for that morning coffee isn’t always helping them get here,” Ms. Lanni said.

This effort encourages students to manage their time thoughtfully, although not all students see the logic in it.

“I don’t get the point of making them throw out drinks because it’s just gonna make people stay out longer to finish their drinks rather than come to school,” Larivee said.

So far the policy seems to be working as intended with tardies down from last year.