The persistent issue of student tardiness at Redwood High School raises the question: Is it a matter of student motivation, or does the sprawling campus play a role in students arriving late to class?
By: Adriel Rayo
Redwood’s expansive grounds are well-known among the community, and so is the common occurrence of students arriving after the bell.
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Ms. Vaca, one of the assistant principals at Redwood High, says, “It’s hard to get to classes at times, if a student has class on vista then have to walk all the way to the english buildings, it can be difficult to be on time.”
Vaca also adds, “It is reasonable at times if a student is maybe 2 minutes late and that is a conversation students would have to have with teachers to get some leniency, but if a student is coming to class 15 minutes late and dragging their feet then that’s a different story and consequences are most likely needed.”
Students may not realize how being late to class affects not only themselves, but also the entire class.
Mr. Garcia, the student intervention here at Redwood, says, “Teachers have a schedule of what they want to accomplish every day in class, and when students show up late, it not only disrupts the class, but the student does not get the vital information that is explained in those first few minutes.”
School faculty takes tardiness seriously at Redwood High School, implementing clear consequences for repeat offenders.
Mr. Garcia also says, “When students accumulate ten tardies we then have to take action and take away lunch passes and students need to write an essay to their AP to get it back, once a student hits twenty tardies, they then have five days of lunch detention then we just keep adding days to detention.”
Marty Silvas, a campus supervisor on the Redwood campus, says, “tardies are a big problem here at Redwood. When I’m out on the cart, I see multiple students walking to class long after the tardy bell has rung.”
Laura Serrano, ’28, a student at Redwood High School, says, “When I walk into class late, I feel a little lost, and I just sit down and look around the room to figure out what we are doing, and I can tell it does affect my learning when I’m not prepared and late.”
As Redwood continues to address tardy issues, the conversation remains open about how best to support students in making it to class on time, whether the solution lies in personal responsibility, campus logistics, or a combination of both.
Adriel Rayo
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