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For this school year, LT administration has made it a priority to return to handbook language regarding student attendance, tardies, behavior and safety. To promote timely behavior, the school will identify attendance as an area of focus and continue to automate the tardy referral system.
In addition to this, consistent communication and intervention will be prioritized and will include emails, letters, calls, and student/parent meetings.
During the 2022-2023 school year there was a notable decrease in referrals associated with primary infractions compared to the 21-22 school year. However, 77% of attendance related referrals were associated with tardies, according to the Building Leadership Team Update. Therefore, LT is focusing on developing strategies with students and families to strengthen on-time behavior through research and creating set plans.
“Last year we saw a significant increase in tardies,” Principal Jennifer Tyrrell said. “We knew that we had to focus on getting our students to class on time because in the previous year we felt that there were too many disruptions with students being late to class and hallways were more of a destination than the means of getting to class.”
Another area of focus for LT administration is student behavior and discipline. Academic Dishonesty referrals increased from 97 in 2021-2022 to 192 during the 2022-2023 school year, those being from tobacco and drug related offenses, according to the Building Leadership Team Update. This year staff and administrators are especially emphasizing and reinforcing the importance of student behavior expectations.
Bathroom policies change
In response to the increase in tobacco and drug related referrals, the school will implement an increase in supervision and presence in restrooms, as well as increasing the number of vape detectors and exploring educational and restorative resources. Additionally, the school is increasing Student Services and social worker support for tobacco/drug related referrals.
“Safety is at the top of the list of things that we think is most important,” Tyrrell said. “It goes hand in hand with creating an environment that our students feel comfortable in. We listen to the feedback we get from our staff, from our students and from our families.”
The following behaviors are not permitted in the bathrooms during the 2023-2024 school year: using cell phones or recording devices, loitering, gathering, or using bathroom facilities to hang out and multiple students using one stall. The use of tobacco/nicotine and THC while on campus is prohibited, including within restrooms, and the increase in vape detectors will ensure that students are following handbook guidelines.
“Whether our students are in classrooms, navigating through hallways, eating lunch, using restrooms, participating in extracurriculars, or anywhere else on our campuses, we will always strive to keep them safe,” Superintendent Brian Waterman said.
Administration will continue to seek feedback and guidance from students, staff and families, Tyrrell said. They will continue to emphasize communication, intervention and finding ways to connect in hopes to ensure students are behaving according to handbook language and attending school at the desired frequency.
ID policy changes
Administration also hopes to emphasize the student ID protocol in attempts to improve school safety.
“School safety and security is one of the most important things that we do here,” Tyrrell said. “In fact this priority is highlighted within Goal 2 of our strategic plan which emphasizes providing a safe, positive, inclusive and engaging learning environment. Creating an environment where our students feel safe along with establishing a culture where our students feel a sense of belonging will always be priorities for us.”
In the 2023-2024 school year, administration is placing heavy emphasis on possessing school IDs when scanning into the AP office, library, student services office, health office, testing center, and student help desk, Tyrrell said. Additionally students must have their ID when purchasing lunch in the cafeterias and when attending events such as homecoming or football games. While carrying an ID at all times has always been encouraged, administration is now putting forth a greater effort to inform students of the ID policy.
“It’s best practice for any individual within an organization to be able to identify [themselves],” Tyrrell said. “Requiring students to have their IDs places an emphasis on students carrying IDs and helps to ensure students are carrying IDs at all times.”
Teachers are also included in the efforts to increase identification abilities. All staff members are expected to wear a lanyard with their 2023-2024 school ID at all times. LT lanyards can be found in the main offices at both campuses, and replacement IDs can be given out in the AP offices. Another way staff members are included in efforts to promote a safer environment is through a greater staff presence in the hallways. Student assistants monitor the halls to make sure that students are both safe and on task during passing periods along with before and after school. The hallway monitors are working to encourage students to pass through the halls more efficiently to maintain better attendance.
“Student attendance is really important because if students are here they’re going to do better,” Tyrrell said. “On time behaviors are important because [being tardy is] disruptive to the learning environment and learning experience.”
General safety updates
Another area of focus for administrators is an updated visitor protocol and general safety update.
“Goal two of our strategic plan supports the learning environment and climate, and making sure that our campuses are safe and secure,” Waterman said.
In the coming school year, LT plans to finalize safety signage for exterior doors, add digital signage to aid in projecting safety related information, and add additional automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to both campuses. Administration has also recently added more than 100 new cameras between campuses along with increased inventory of radios. Another updated safety measure includes visitor protocol, which states that all visitors must present a valid, government-issued photo ID. They are then required to leave their ID at the security desk until they exit the building and conclude their visit. In addition to this, staff members are encouraged to lock classroom doors and offices upon departure. If doors are not able to be closed due to malfunction, a work order or report to the associate principal is necessary.
“Discussions regarding all aspects of goal two are always ongoing,” Waterman said. “We are continuously looking ahead and looking to the future to see how we can improve, whether that be safety, academics, or climate and culture at LT.”
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