When students don’t attend class it can cause declining grades, which results in students struggling with work. Being in class is important because having an education is a privilege, and unless you can’t be in class for a serious matter then you should attend.

A majority of high schoolers eventually plan on going to a community college or university that requires a high school diploma or a General Development Education diploma (GED).

Even companies may ask for a background check to see current schooling and work ethic if you have a high school diploma or a GED.

If someone does end up skipping class for no reason, they may need to do makeup work, which can become a habit for not committing to something. According to Middle Earth “Studies show that students who skip more than ten days of school are 20% less likely to graduate and 25% are less likely to enroll in college.”

It’s beneficial for students to be in class, and if they aren’t, there can be repercussions. This rule will help motivate  students to be on time and present in class. These rules aren’t exactly popping up out of nowhere, and I think that they are being enforced now because of rising absence rates and the administrators wish to ensure all young adults have access to a good education. Also, if these rules had been enforced more, like other schools in the area, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal to students now.

I don’t think that it’s hard to be able to attend class, it’s just that people don’t want to for various reasons. Personally, as a senior who also does Post Secondary Education Option (PSEO) at Normandale Community College, I have to be accountable for my own time. I have to work outside and inside school and the only times I’m not in class is when I have doctors appointments where they don’t mind giving me a note. 

Yes, these newly enforced rules have come up now, but maybe they are trying new things to see if students follow them for future years. With less emphasis on covid-19 and the pandemic in schools, Park might want to have a sense of normalcy in the school. It’s only because it was never enforced with previous principals that it’s now coming up. It’s better to have these newly-enforced attendance rules in place to better people’s education.