At the beginning of January, Principal Ellen Reilley announced that she would begin to restrict Highlander Time and bathroom movement due to the increase in tardies and absences. However, as of January 20th, Highlander Time movement has resumed and students are officially allowed to go to other classes to complete work. Students are now required to get a pass from the teacher that they want to visit.
“Morning tardies and absences have become worse this year than in years past. I have talked to many teachers who are similarly noticing many students coming late to their morning classes especially,” AP Government teacher Amanda Williams said.
Teachers have the expectation their students will arrive to class on time and attend school consistently.
“Most [high schools] have many more rules and much more enforcement than we do. We have a very special place where adults and students respect each other. We should all work to keep it special,” AP French teacher Michael Click said.
Though Highlander Time movement has resumed and students can begin to go to other classes, students are now required to get a pass from the teacher that they want to visit.
“I believe restricting Highlander Time movement wasn’t a great idea, to begin with. I had so many tests and assignments that I had to complete before the first semester ended, and it messed with my schedule,” senior Jayden Vargas said.
Though there was mutual agreement amongst teachers for the policies taken to counter absences and tardies, many teachers believe that Highlander Time can be extremely valuable for students.
“I can see how a lack of enforcement of Highlander Time movement and E-Hall passes contributed to overall attendance issues, but I do also think Highlander Time movement has a lot of value for students who want to use the time wisely and meet with teachers or make-up work,” Williams said.
Since the resumption of Highlander Time, students have reported that they have finally been able to get their work done again, which is contingent with their schedule.
“Sometimes I could not come after school to make up a test, but since we can go to classes again, I got to finish all my assignments before the semester ended,” junior Solei Samad said.
Furthermore, the teachers and staff of McLean are still hoping to fully fix the tardy and absence issue to help students understand the material to the fullest extent.
“In my experience, the vast majority of students I interact with mean well and follow the school policies,” Williams said. “I am very grateful to work with an amazing and responsible student body. Frequent absences and tardies make it difficult for teachers to teach and students to learn, so I am hoping we can fix this issue and move forward.”
