This upcoming school year brings a new principal, and a few new policies are now set in motion. But the question is: are these policies for better or worse? The policy we are focusing on today is the new tardy policy and what the students and administration have to say about it. 

The new tardy policy enforced this year consists of many new rules and procedures the students must follow. We interviewed some students first to get their opinions. This is what the students had to say.

 Lyla, a senior,  thinks it makes the students even late to class because they have to wait in the long line with quite a few other students. Therefore, it takes longer to get to class, so not only is there traffic in the morning, there is traffic in the hallways during school. Dylan, a sophomore,  said, “I get it, but I don’t like it.”  Edylyn, a junior, says, “It’s dumb because if you get four or more tardies, they start to take away any chance of going to prom and a bunch of other fun activities.” Sebastian, a sophmore, said, “there are benefits and perks to it. I don’t like it because of the morning traffic, but it promotes students going to class and not ditching as often, so grades will rise.” 

Most students seem to agree with the policy starting after the first period. Saying the traffic in the morning causes most students to be late in the first period, and believing that the school should either not penalize students or remove having the lockout first period overall. Students generally believe being 1 – 5 minutes late and getting consequences is a little harsh. 

When interviewing administrators, Mr. Albert told us they are trying to figure out how to move traffic faster. Since the school only allows cars in the parking lot from one way, it causes a lot of traffic. They also stated that the first weeks of school are always hectic, and they should calm down relatively soon. Another administrator, Ms. Tracy, thinks the tardy policy is the right thing to do, believing it promotes a better livelihood for school life.

If you were here at Palo Verde last year, you could tell that last year was chaotic and that the students followed few rules, especially tardies. Last year’s mess was the cause for these new, stricter policies that have taken place, according to Ms. Tracy. The school administration is trying to take more authority and bring a little more order to this school and to try and avoid what happened last year. Only time will tell if these rules will change anything. However, if there is anything we can say with certainty, nearly all the students think the policies should be more lenient, while the admins find them necessary for the near future.