by David Hill
Editor
“High school is the last stop before adulthood,” said Kayla Lian, principal at Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls.
Lian and Carrie Anderson, the new dean of students at Lincoln High School, provided the Board of Education an update on the significant changes to the student handbook. Many of those changes are designed to prepare students for adulthood.
Lockers assigned to students. Lockers will again be assigned to students at the school. The practice was dropped over a period of time years ago because during the remodel of the school the locker sizes had been increased and that meant fewer lockers. Initially, they didn’t require seniors to have lockers, but it eventually led to all students not being required to use lockers.
The purpose is simple. Class sizes have increased and book bags and large coats pose a safety hazard. Last year, there were instances of students and staff tripping over backpacks. There are some notable exceptions to the no backpack rule in classrooms.
Tardies and absences. In the past, the school declared that if a student was one-half hour late for class, they were declared absent. Now they will be absent if they miss one-third of the class. Some flexibility was necessary because of abbreviated classes due to outside circumstances.
Vape detectors and cameras in place. There are now vape detectors and cameras in every bathroom. Students are already aware of the vape detectors. Lian said trying to prevent kids from smoking is not the point. The point is to stop kids from smoking in school.
Cell phone caddies. Cell phones will now have to be placed in cell phone caddies in classrooms or left in student lockers. Students can have cell phones at school but not while in their classrooms. Lian said there’s considerable evidence that cell phones cause disruptions, and discipline problems.
No hoodies. Students can wear sweatshirts with hoods, but will not be allowed to wear them over their head. That also goes for ear buds.
Lian said the purpose is to make sure students engage while at school and don’t “check out.”
These changes and the repercussions for not adhering to the rules can be found in the student handbook on the District’s website.
Lian said the changes should help establish greater consistency within the District. She considered these changes good for students as they approach adulthood, though she added that growth and comfort do not always coexist.
Members of the Board of Education expressed support for the policy changes.