High School Strict on Attendance

Cambridge High School is cracking down on its attendance policy this year.

Students are only allowed to miss five days per nine week grading period. If they miss more, their grades will drop to a 59 percent.

Principal Scott Eldredge says the reason for the stricter policy is because the Cambridge School District has not been meeting the attendance portion of its yearly report card.

“It’s supposed to be 93%, and we haven’t quite hit 93%. We’ve hit 92.6%. So, this is a way of getting over the hump and getting those kids who weren’t driven by the positive incentives, ” says Eldredge.

However, Eldredge says it has been improving slightly over the years. The high school has offered positive incentives for students who do come to school. Those who miss less than five days throughout the entire year don’t have to take end-of-the-year finals.

Eldredge says the new policy will try to target students who don’t care about the positive incentives.

He says the school also is allowing students to make up a day if they go over the five day limit.

“If they miss a sixth day and they attend a Saturday school, maybe if they can’t come to a Saturday school, then detentions after school, or if they just attend school for so many days during that period, we’ll let them get a day back, ” says Eldredge.

The students will be given back a day and their grades return to their original averages.

Eldredge says the high school has been working on the attendance policy for about three years.