Administration reviews enforcement of dress code, tardiness

Anjali Vishwanath, Daily News/Assignment Editor

Familiar issues have come to the forefront of the Coppell High School administration’s focus: tardiness and the dress code.

On Thursday, CHS Principal Laura Springer announced  tardy sweeps and stricter enforcement of the dress code would commence starting this week.

“[These are] things that are just important to me that I teach [students] because you’re going to go out into the business world, and you’re going to have to dress accordingly,” Springer said. “And that’s how [potential employers] look at you. One of the first things I look at on every person I interview is what [they are] wearing, because they’re going to be a model for our kids in this building.”

Tardy sweeps, which were last in effect in the 2019-20 school year, are also returning.

“We’re starting tardy sweeps because we are really struggling with the amount of kids not in a classroom where the tardy bell rings and missing parts of instruction,” Springer said. “What happens if you’re caught in a tardy sweep is, no matter your background, [no matter if] you’ve never been in trouble before, a tardy sweep is an immediate 30-minute detention.”

There is one exception to this rule: bus delays. Students who arrive to school late after riding a bus will not be assigned a 30-minute detention. Additionally, these sweeps will not take place during each passing period.

“We choose a period that we’re going to do a tardy sweep, and we will make an announcement at some point during the day and let teachers know we’re going to do a tardy sweep period, [and remind them to] please make sure that when the bell rings you don’t let anybody in,” CHS associate principal Melissa Arnold said.

These detentions, called ‘Keep Everything Beautiful’ (KEB), are dedicated to cleaning up litter around the CHS campus.

“I am not doing my job if I don’t hold a standard in this building that I believe in,” Springer said.

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