Miss a class; miss a game

Every day at 7:44 a.m., the halls are flooded as students rush to get to class. Blair’s policy of “In Class On Time” dictates that students who are chronically late will receive lunch detentions or worse. For student-athletes, the pressure is even greater: the new Athletics Attendance Policy can even have them taken out of games. 

Athletics Director Rita Boule announced the new policy at the fall athletics meeting on Aug. 27. In line with Blair’s overarching “In Class On Time” policy, the athletics attendance plan aims to promote student-athlete attendance and punctuality. Student-athletes face the difficult task of managing both school and sports. The policy is built to help them, but the stress of additional consequences can be detrimental.

Boule has been the driving force behind this new policy. Along with Assistant Athletics directors Kristin Cole, Daniel Cole, and Samual Nossof, her goal is to standardize the attendance policies between different teams. “Some coaches do a really good job of having consequences for unexcused tardies and non-excused absences, and some don't,” Boule says. “And what happens is it's confusing to kids, it's confusing to parents, it's confusing to my staff. So we thought a lot about it, talked a lot about it, and decided that we would implement our own progressive discipline.”

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) already has a policy concerning athletes’ eligibility for sports. A student who is chronically absent or tardy can become ineligible for athletics. Boule wants to get ahead of that possibility. “If we get to a point where our kids are ineligible … they can't play in games, they can't compete, and that is the rule,” Boule says of her decision to get involved in attendance. “Now we're trying to get in there before they receive that consequence.”

The first unexcused tardy will result in team consequences, the second in a discussion with Boule and the student-athlete’s coach, and the third in additional parent contact. Past this, the athlete can face mandatory community service hours, removal from games, and ineligibility for team awards. Senior and girls’ volleyball captain Kendra Gray recognizes the benefits of this progression. “It's a good order of consequences,” she says. “It kind of stems back to the idea of restorative justice and kind of asking people why they're late, rather than just punishing them without talking to them.” 

The policy can be stressful even for student-athletes who make an effort to get to class. It leaves little room for mistakes or uncontrollable circumstances. “The motive is to get students to class and everything, but it's kind of complicated,” Gray says. “It's a little bit harsh depending on the circumstance.” At the same time, the pressure created by the policy can be beneficial to student-athletes. Lilah Coleman, a captain for girls’ varsity field hockey, says that the policy keeps her accountable. “We're students before athletes,” Coleman explains. “If you're gonna play, you have to be a good student. And I think [the policy] helps … especially during the sports season.”

7 crowd

Photo: The Blair crowd boos an Einstein fan.

The Blair crowd boos an Einstein fan. Photo courtesy of Zach Carter.

Communication with all parties is a big part of the new policy. Throughout the progression of consequences, students have the opportunity to communicate with their coach and Boule to ensure fairness. Boule acknowledges that sometimes students have to make difficult choices regarding their attendance and priorities. “We'll never get rid of the unexcused tardies, but we know in athletics it was probably the right decision for that kid to make.”

While the policy aims to create standardization, this isn’t always the case. Coleman feels that the policy doesn’t apply the same to all teams. “[We have] a high team GPA, and I feel like other sports don't necessarily have that,” says Coleman. “From my perspective, I feel like it can be easier for my team.” Teachers can play a role too. Whether a student-athlete gets marked late often depends on the class. Senior and varsity boys’ soccer captain Jorge Mejia has experienced this inconsistency. “Some teachers don't mark you late if you don't have a green slip; others might,” says Mejia. “It just depends on the teacher.”

Boule says the policy has had a positive influence. “We don't see our student athletes in the hallways anymore,” she says. “We don't see them coming late, unexcused.” As a whole, student-athletes have avoided the consequences of the policy and have been encouraged to be timely. Admittedly, there are some things that the policy lacks. Currently, there’s no way for a student-athlete to check what level of consequences they are at. As athletes have been punctual, it’s less pressing now, but it's a change that should be made in the future. 

While the policy does put more pressure on student-athletes, it also provides structure that helps them manage the balance between athletics and academics. With input from athletes, coaches, and staff, the Blair athletics program continues to improve every year. “We have expectations, parameters, tough love, and communication,” Boule says. “We just keep restoring the relationships and getting stronger all the time.”