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Richmond School Board drafting policy to curb excessive tardiness

Posted at 12:11 AM, Jun 06, 2014
and last updated 2014-06-06 00:11:01-04

RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond parent, Beth Gilbert admits it’s not always easy getting her children to school on time.

She said because of open enrollment, her kids take the city bus to school since she has to work.

She said that sometimes leads to tardiness, especially with her older son.

“I knew about a few of them, but I didn’t know of the extent of them,” said Gilbert.

Richmond School Board Vice-Chair, Kristen Larson said the board is trying to change the way they handle student tardiness, as so many children are chronically late to school or leaving early in the school system.

Larson said on Monday the board voted to begin a new policy to address these issues.

Right now, there are consequences if a student has 25 unexcused tardies or early dismissals.

Larson said the new policy would allow truancy officers to intervene before it gets that bad by contacting the parents early on.

“Really get in there and find out are there some challenges with the family, do we need to educate the family?” said Larson.

Beth Gilbert said she’d like that kind of open conversation, but still has her reservations.

“It would be nice to know ahead of time, I could take action,” said Gilbert. “But the problem is more systematic than that. The solution needs to fit the problem.”