By Lacey McMurry
The halls of Lehi High School are a lot emptier these days. Students scurry to classes, knowing if they arrive after the late bell rings, they have more to worry about than missing an opening homeroom quiz.
In an effort to encourage students to be on time, Lehi High School officials implemented a tardy policy this week that could charge students $5 if they are caught in the hall after the tardy bell rings.
'Our goal is not to punish kids; we just want them to be responsible,' said school principle Sheldon Worthington. 'Students need to be in class on time so teachers can teach and they can learn.'
Administrators are now enforcing a 'lockout' policy. They decide in private meetings a certain period each day when classroom doors will be locked after the second bell rings. School officials then round up all students still in the hall and give them the option of paying $5 or attending a one-hour session of attendance school.
'We do provide another opportunity for students who don''t want to pay $5,' Worthington said. 'But most students are choosing to pay the fee because attendance school is really early in the morning.'
All the money collected from tardy students will be used for student activities. Worthington said the policy has already dramatically reduced the number of students who are late to class. He said he used to see 200 to 300 students in the halls after the bell rang, but now there are usually less than 30.
While many school officials said they think the policy is a good idea, most high school students aren''t as sure. Lehi High senior Candice Peterson said the majority of students she has talked to think the policy is unfair.
'Most of my friends are really mad about it,' she said. 'I hear complaints every day.'
Peterson said she initially felt the policy was unreasonable, but has since seen positive results and now thinks the $5 fee should be enforced.
Worthington said the policy has drawn a great deal of media attention, appearing in newspapers across the nation and featured on 'Good Morning America.' Worthington also said he doesn''t really understand why the media has devoted so much coverage to the new policy.
'Is it really such a novel concept to expect students to be on time and responsible?' he asked.
Jerrilyn Mortensen, public information officer for the Alpine School District, said Worthington didn''t decide to implement the new policy until after he had discussed the matter with parents, community residents and students. She said Worthington made the final decision after a PTA meeting where parents expressed broad support for a measure that would fine students for being tardy.
'This program has complete approval from the district,' Mortensen said. 'As a district, we support any measure that encourages class attendance and participation.'