Video: Amory High School Students With Excessive Tardies To Get Saturday Detention

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AMORY, Miss. (WCBI) – A new policy at one high school puts students with excessive tardies in classes on Saturday morning. The new guidelines are meant to keep students in regular classroom time, and hopefully give them a strong incentive to be at school, and classes, on time.

When the bell rings, Amory High School students are supposed to be at school and in class on time. Until this month, students received a warning for the first four tardies, then after school detention for the next three tardies and students with eight or more got in school detention.

Now, students with eight tardies per semester will have detention on Saturday morning.

“Our goal with revamping the policy is to try and get our kids in class more often,” said Principal Ken Byars.

Students with Saturday morning detention will still be able to attend class during the week.

“Punctuality is big in the workplace and big in school, you can’t just snap your fingers and learn how to handle yourself in the workplace, something has to be practiced before you get there,” Byars said.

Frequent tardies are not a big problem at Amory High School. In fact, fewer than five percent of students even fall into that category. The hope is those students who have to come to Saturday detention will learn about punctuality and responsibility. And, it won’t cost taxpayers any extra.

“This is at no cost to the district, it will be covered by school administrators only,” said Supt. Tony Cook.

Students we spoke with believe the new policy is a good idea.

“I know a lot of people who really don’t mind being in in school detention, but I think it’s another thing completely to have to come to school on a Saturday,” said Wes Colbert, a senior at AHS.

“I think it’s only going to deter students from being just that, tardy,” said Hagen Gurley, a senior at AHS.

The new policy went into effect this week. So far, no students have had enough tardies for Saturday detention. That detention lasts one hour, from 8 to 9 am.