About time they did something - it is not the start time - it is the kids and parents that are the problem. There are parents in the school district who think they rule the roost and to h.... with the school - well now your kid can pay for your lazy actions. For the students that are tardied due to their actions - well now you can pay the price. Time to grow up - you are not goint get your way with constantly showing up late for your job - your boss will show your butt the door and the unemployment line.

Ann: Agreed, it is about time Parents and Kids are held accountable.

I hope you stay on top of this so parents can see it it really works.

And are they going to make the bus drivers sit in there with them too when the buses cannot get the kids to school on time either?

Why does school start so early and how many school busses transport students to school?

Agree 100% Ann, after I got the call I checked Twitter, go look and see how many kids thought it would be funny to be late on Thursday, glad he did this, it is not a joke anymore.

I could never figure out why you build a school with entry points on only one side of the school. The traffic is horrible every morning. That being said, we leave early enough each day to get there at least 10 minutes before the bell. So far so good.

The tardies arent including late buses. I also agree with Ann. As a parent of 2 highschoolers it isnt fair to my kids that their class is interrupted by student who are consistently late.

I think it is about time that they are holding the students accountable. I recently had a meeting at school and as I was leaving at 8:15 there were many students just strolling into the school as if they had all the time in the world to get there. Many of these students were driving themselves so you can't really blame the parents. They need to grow up and start being responsible. It is not fair to the parents & students who make it a point to be there on time.

Schools and society in general need more of a shift of the accountability on the students and the parents and not direct it so much to the staff. I wonder what the consequences are for missing too much class? Do they flunk, not earn credits, have to take summer school to earn credits? How about a tax credit for parents with students with perfect attendance? How about having the parents and students held accountable instead of the teachers and administration. Our society is really not seeing the value of getting an education anymore. Folks better take notice that it wasn't that long ago that only the elite were able to afford an education! Our schools should have lines forming outside before the day begins for the opportunity to learn. Instead so many are looking to do what they can to do less learning.

There is a difference between strolling in at 8:30, and getting there at 7:11. How many absences were there on Friday? How many students didn't even attend if they were going to be late?

If you ever want to get a good laugh - stand on 60th Street where you can see the parking lot entrance and watch up and down 60th street as parents/students driving are speeding and passing in the curb lane (which is not allowed per the signs posted) and the school parking lot between 7 and 7:15 AM because they couldn't get their lazy butts out of the house on time. It is about time that they are going back to the good o'le days of making the parents/students responsible. To many times this school district as a whole has changed or done things so "mommy" doesn't call the administration. No if "mommy" or student does not like how the rules are for everyone - then back your things and move - don't let the door hit you in the butt on your way out.

Agreed with all. It is about time. We pay thousands of dollars PER kid to give them an education--including mine. The lack of discipline and disruptive behavior has to stop-period. Any parent or kid that objects to being treated unfairly should go to the Milwaukee Public Schools or somewhere else where THEY will tolerate it. We shouldn't tolerate it here. We need to support our principals, teachers, and School Board with this.

I still think the start time is too early. But having said that, I do applaud the Principal for taking a stand. Yes, and I do agree, 1-2 minutes late, is late, but strolling in after
10 minutes is ridiculous. Some action was needed. Good for him. Start time is what it is, must adapt.

"Parents against the move called the idea horrible and juvenile, and one parent said a zero-tolerance policy is not the answer.
“Why should the child be punished for the parent’s actions,” she wrote."

All I can say is that these young students better realize that the world is a tough place and no one is going to be pampering them in a couple years. If their parents are irresponsible, then it's up to them to be responsible. The problem is that many of these parents were once the little smarts arses doing exactly what their kids are doing now. Enough with the excuses. School isn't a day care or a hang out. It's a place to learn. If any parent or student doesn't want to do that, leave.

My DD graduated from GH 5 years ago. I remember the few times I drove her in the morning (she was NEVER late) seeing a lot of kids walking from the Speedway gas station (60th& Layton) with their coffees and sodas. They didn't look like they were in any hurry to get to school.Glad to see the scholl is going something about tardies. At my job if you're late you get docked pay plus it counts against you. They don't even give you a break in bad weather because it's YOUR responsibility to get to work on time even if you have to wake up earlier and leave your house earlier.

Here's the answer to your timeliness conflict -- home school! No busses, no timelines, no stress! Higher quality of learning!

After just two days of the new Tardie policy, it seems to be working already. I hope Mr. Thusius leaves the policy in place for the remainder of the school year to see how much of an impact it has. It also has an impact on learning. As one teacher posted on Greenfield Patch on face book. • Lynn Ludwig: " I have been averaging 6 students arriving late every day for first hour for the past few weeks. That is 6 times during a 53 minute period that I have to stop teaching to open the door and let someone in, change attendance, and get that student caught up. The last couple of days I have been able to get an extra 10-15 minutes of teaching in and have been able to help more individual students with their work during class time. The students who were still late may not have benefitted from sitting in the PAC for the hour, but the ones who were on time sure benefitted in the classroom." The kids that are responsible enough to get there on time, benefit as well.

This also brings up another issue. Long time advocate (Dolores Skowronek) for changing the school start time later, has used the tardy issue as one argument for doing so. The start time issue will be discussed and possibly acted on at tomorrows (3/5/2013) School Board meeting. The new cost estimates are in, and it will cost $200,000 more YEARLY to change the time. Fiscal Impact:
The administration has researched three viable options with the start and end times. The increase over the current cost for each option is as follows:
Option B: $223,671.60
Option C: $204,436.80
Option D: $182,107.80 (18 Buses)
Option D: $216,367.20 (19 Buses)
As one teacher said at a meeting earlier in the year, - High school special education teacher Cindy Sibley, a 14-year veteran said changing the school start time at a steep price doesn’t make much sense. She said the district doesn’t have enough guidance councilors — she said having just one at the Middle School was absurd — and believes a police liaison officer at the Middle School would go a long way in sending a message that the district does not tolerate bullying and fighting.
Sibley also said the district has several non-English speaking students and money could be better spent meeting their needs.
“Right now we have so many more needs where $200,000 could go and right now we’re not meeting some of our basic needs,” she said. -
The money could be spent much more wisely elswhere.

I don't know why highschool don't do this but hit the kids with something they love... tie discpline and grades to their Prking permits... Getting one and keeping it... I know at our high school parking is limited and those that don't get them can end up walking quite a distance. why is it so difficult for the admin to figure this out.. grade point below 2.0 no parking permit,, too many tardies... No Parking Permit, violate athletic code or code of conduct, school rules etc......NO PARKING PERMIT
This not only causes them discomfort, it also hits them in the social standing world.. and the pocket book as most schools charge for the permits. depending upon the school and additional non permit parking it may force some kids to ..Oh MY GOD RIDE THE BUS !!!!
if they can correct their ways they can get back on the waiting list. or maybe it's just a temporary suspension of the permit so after they get back on track they get the permit back. In either case I'm sure it would definitely be something the kids wouldn't want to lose!
In addition to creating a way "Hit them where it hurts" if you are issuing new permits it will create a little revenue and reward kids who do behave with the ability to get a permit !

Just my thoughts

Burt R.

KHD and Ann...the administration has NO control over who gets free/reduced lunches and fees. That is completely determined by the federal/state. The families fill out a from and there is a sliding scale based on reported income and number of family member. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THE ADMINISTRATION OF ANY SCHOOL DISTRICT CAN CHANGE.

Of course I don't but I also don't assume everyone is cheating. Maybe I just have a different outlook. That's ok. I won't assume everyone is cheating and you will so we'll cancel each other out. I shouldn' read the comments on stories like this. It's just a bunch of people knowing what's best for everyone else. I get my kids to school early so we don't have to deal with the tardy issue. I don't presume to tell anyone else what to do with their kds.

Not every student is old enough to drive to school, and not every student has a car. Many students are dropped off by parents. A restriction on parking would be ineffective for most. I'm loving the new policy. My child's education is important, and repeated disruptions are not fair to him. Thanks, Mr. T!

I applaud Mr. Thusius on this! I think he needs to take it another step further and those late students log the minutes they missed and they serve that time in an after school study hall, or have fines that accumulate until graduation. Fines not paid no diploma and/or transcripts held, any fun fees (yearbook, athletics, etc.) go automatically toward fines first. If they show up for graduation and walk on stage to their name not being called and not handed a diploma- public humiliation.

My son is in first grade at a private school. We recently received notice that the school is cracking down as well. Their policy includes a variety of things including 4th tardy is after school detention. I thought that was harsh, but you have to prepare kids for the reality of the real world. It drives me nuts all the people that can't get their butts to work on time at my office.