Don’t be late to class

Anaiah Wright, staff writer

By now we’ve probably all heard of the infamous pocket trackers we use here at Ben Davis.

If you’re unsure what they are, they are slips that supposedly hold students accountable for being tardy to classes and some teachers use them as tickets into their classroom.  For one, the name “pocket tracker” is very misleading because when I think of a “tracker” I’m thinking of a microchip but that may be besides the point. 

Students should be held accountable for failure to report to class on time, but pocket trackers are not the way to go about it.

Whether you’re a few steps behind or had a break in between classes and can’t make it to class on time, a tardy is a tardy. Pocket trackers are ineffective because they cause students to be even later than they already were.

In order to receive a pocket tracker, a student must report to a station, usually run by deans or administrators, and scan their ID or provide their full name. Then, a pass will print, and it will be recorded that you received the pass at a kiosk.

The problem with this is that you usually have to wait in a line, and you may have a far walk. Let’s say you’re late to your last period class located in double A hall on the second floor. Well now you have to walk down the stairs and to the commons. This can take about 7-8 minutes. At this time, you’ve missed out on about 20% of your class. 

Pocket trackers only disrupt learning. I would suggest that the school implement a better system that doesn’t disrupt the teacher’s lecture time, nor the student’s learning time. Of course, students should be in class when the bell rings and perhaps a stiffer penalty for being late should be implemented.

Obviously, school bells are there for a reason, but we should avoid allowing them to cause more chaos if it can be prevented.