Late to the party

Broward Picks Up Slack for the 2012-2013 School Year

By Jeana Lindo, Somerset Academy

When I arrived at school late this morning, I discovered that Broward County has implemented stricter policy this year concerning punctuality.

My friends had warned me, but I didn’t believe it until the office staff informed me “Broward County is not accepting parent signatures as excuses anymore, a tardy is a tardy. We can only excuse it if you have a doctor’s note.”

Tardies will be treated like absences in that they require legitimate excuses to be excused.

Something that also requires a doctor’s note is the use of sunglasses indoors. I’m puzzled as to why there should be anything against sunglasses -- they’re a fun and useful accessory.

The Code of Conduct is armed with witty responses to any complaints students might make about the dress code: “Changes in clothing trends will not override the dress code policy (page 25)”.

In the past, such strictness only lasted for a few weeks before students acted as they did before, as if the rule were not there in the first place.

 They seem to be serious this year and I suspect they will not follow the same pattern again.