The old lateness policy did not work. The school previously implemented the MTT – more than ten-minute – system in order to categorize the severity of lateness. However, this system failed to address the larger issue, which was that there was no differentiation between a student who arrived at 8:11 a.m. and a student who arrived at 10:30 a.m. The new point system works to solve this problem.

According to the current policy, students receive points corresponding to how late they are: lateness of less than ten minutes is one point, between ten and 30 minutes is two points, and any longer than 30 minutes is four points.

In-borough students are allotted six points before detention, whereas out-of-borough students are allotted ten. After ten points for in-borough students and fourteen points for out-of-borough students, the student will lose their off-campus (commonly referred to as “out-lunch”) privileges. A student must come to school on time for ten consecutive days before regaining their out-of-school lunch privilege. 

While six points (which can be as little as two lates) for detention is not enough for in-borough students, the new lateness policy is a step in the right direction, working to create a more equitable lateness policy. 

This policy makes more room for circumstance and more realistically addresses the problem of lateness in a way that reflects the reality of life outside of Heschel. In real life, if you are slightly late to a meeting, there are real repercussions, but those repercussions increase the later you are. In this way, the new lateness policy better prepares Heschel students for environments outside of high school.