Recently at South East High School, it is now commonplace where students are missing a period or a complete day of school. Most of the time, students give a justification on why they were absent, but most of the time students just don’t and continue with their lives. 

A common excuse given by students is that they don’t wake up on time, leading to tardies or just not coming to school for the day. Others have said that they don’t like a specific teacher or classmate. Travel time to school is also another reason frequently given. 

Ten different teachers at South East High School were asked about what they noticed when it came to attendance: Who mostly comes late, girls or boys? 

Seven teachers shared that boys are the ones who come more late than girls. Only three teachers said girls come late more often than boys. 

To find out the reasons for their tardiness, several male students from South East were asked to give the reasons why they come to school or any class late. These are the responses they gave:

“I need to go to the restroom.”

“My sister wakes up late.” 

“I go to the counselor's office.”

“I walk my friend to class.”

“I don’t like the class.”

“I wake up late” 

“Because of my family.” 

The boys gave eight different answers, but the overwhelming common response was: “I woke up late.” 

Not long ago, school used to start at 7:30 every morning, but the district changed it to 8:30 so students could sleep an hour extra with hopes of having more energy for the day. The district also hoped this later start time would prevent tardies. 

While it has been effective, the tardy issues still remain. 

PSA counselor Ms. Gasca shared that the maximum absences is no more than seven absences the whole year. That means students can only have one absence per 25 days. However, she understands that sometimes students get sick or have personal emergencies, but they have to have an excuse paper with a signature of your parent or guardian for these situations.

Students coming late to school every day is a common occurrence at South East. However, according to the school dean Mr. Ramirez, it was at a significant high. 

“More than four hundred students would come late to first period,” he revealed. “Two weeks ago, we started giving Saturday detention to students who come late to first period.” 

He shared that in the morning, students needed to scan their ID before entering the school campus to ensure that they are on time to class. If a student gets more than seven tardies, they have to come to Saturday detention. After enacting this policy, the number of tardies dropped and instead of an average of four hundred students being late to school every day, it has now dropped to two hundred, according to Ramirez. 

Despite the viewed success of Saturday detention, according to Ramirez, students have a different opinion from it. While no student wants to go to school on a Saturday, the students have to attend in order to clear their tardies. Some students who were asked about their thoughts on Saturday detention, gave responses of disapproval.

“It’s annoying,” one student said.

“I don’t like it,” echoed another student who had to attend Saturday detention.

“I don’t know why they did it,” shared another student on what they think of clearing tardies on Saturdays. 

When asked about tardies at school, several girls revealed the reasons why they are late to class.

“Because I don’t want to be in class,” senior Gladys Manson revealed. “Sometimes I am also busy in my other class.”

“Sometimes I just walk slow and drop off my friends,” junior Elisabeth Styles shared. “Sometimes I just don’t want to be in class.”

“If I need to use the bathroom, it isn’t in the five minute range [in between classes] so I get to class late,” senior Brooke Tomlinson added. “I have to choose whether to go to the bathroom or get to class early.”

“Another reason are ‘slow walkers’ because they tend to get in the way of me going to class early,” senior Blake James shared about the crowded hallways. 

Three teachers gave their opinions about what they feel when students give excuses on why they are late.

“When students come in late to my class, I get annoyed unless they have an excuse,” art teacher Ms. Corona revealed about her students who come late to class. “When I started working [here], I used to get mad. But now I am used to it because it’s not going to stop. I can’t make myself mad every day.” 

Mr. Nguyen, who joined South East this year as the new physics teacher, shared his experience with students coming late to class. 

“It depends on the reason,” he explained. “If they lie and I know they are lying, I do get annoyed. But when they give true excuses, it’s OK.”

Government teacher Mr. Romm, however, has a strict approach to tardiness in his class. Despite students offering him different excuses, he treats all situations equally. 

“No matter the excuse, I always mark tardy,” he revealed about his personal class policy. “The rule is being in class early. I don’t usually listen to the excuses they give me.” 

Tardiness has become one of the most common issues on school campuses, and while it’s easy to blame the clock, it’s a problem that can be improved with a few practical adjustments from students themselves. In many cases, arriving late isn’t the result of a major obstacle but a series of small delays that add up. A more consistent morning routine is often the most effective place to start. Waking up even ten minutes earlier can take the stress out of getting ready and prevent that last-minute scramble out the door. Leaving home a bit ahead of schedule can also help students avoid the unexpected slow traffic, crowded drop off lines or bad weather.

Once students are on campus, time management matters just as much. Walking with intention between classes, paying attention to passing periods and avoiding unnecessary detours can make the difference between sliding into a seat before the bell or showing up a minute too late. Communicating with teachers also helps; asking to use the restroom before class begins ensures students are counted present and not rushing in after attendance has been taken. At its core, reducing tardiness is about building habits that show responsibility and respect for learning time. With small, consistent changes, students can significantly cut down on late arrivals and set themselves up for a more organized, less stressful school day.

Some names have been altered to protect their identities.