Your stomach drops. Just as you turn the corner, you see the bus pulling away from the stop. The light turns red at the crosswalk, and you cannot cross. You are stuck behind seemingly every car in the DC metro area. You will be late.
The tardy policy put in place two years ago has been a success from the administrative standpoint and has seemingly taught students the poster motto that “Timing is key.” For those who tap their Student ID numbers into the pad outside the front office each morning , those who still have not learned their lesson, the administration typically asks: “Why weren’t they on the bus?”
It is a valid question. The bus provides reliable transportation that nearly always gets to school on time, and it is an option for the vast majority of students. However, the small minority, the transfer students, do not have this option. The contract that pupil-placed students sign before enrolling contains an agreement that they will provide their own transportation. These students are typically left without a bus unless they live close to a zoning line.
Without a bus to rely on for timely transportation, transfer students are more susceptible to tardiness. The three unexcused tardies allotted per semester allow for occasional imperfection in all students, as they should. But, if the average student sleeps late or misses the bus, they still have time to beg a ride from a parent or friend, but a transfer student has no “Plan B.”
A transfer student not only has to consistently make it out of the house in time but also has to contend with traffic. Pupil-placed students typically have to travel farther to and from school, often on large interstates or highways, all in a city which is ranked second in the nation for worst traffic. Plus, while passengers on school buses are excused if the bus runs late due to traffic, a transfer student is not excused for being held up on 495.
Pupil-placed students should not be exempt from tardiness rules, for they too must learn timeliness. But, they should be treated equitably. This means perhaps an extra allotted tardy or two per semester. Transfer students sacrifice their own time every day so that they can attend a school they love and value, and they should not be punished for doing so.