Several minutes after the tardy bell rings, junior Jake Sutton walks into his first period, AP English. His teacher, Stephanie Bonneau, scowls at Sutton’s lateness and hands him the assignment.

“I always wake up at like 7:20,” Sutton said. “I’ve been counted tardy numerous times.”

Waking up late contributes to being tardy to first period classes, but other tardies occur during the middle of the day. Sophomore Evelyn Henderson often arrives late to class during the day.

“I’m late all the time,” Henderson said. “I’m always late to journalism because it’s on the entire other side of the school from the other class I have before it.”

Henderson attributes her tardiness to socializing and short passing periods. Five minute passing periods, two minutes shorter than the 2011-12 school year passing periods, accompany the new nine-period day.

“The longer passing periods last year made it easier,” Henderson said, “and I like to talk to people in the halls.”

Another change to the new tardy policy makes teachers mark their students tardy within the classroom instead of sending students to their AP’s office to get a late pass. Biology teacher Michelle Fagan has mixed feelings about the new policy.

“[Students] can’t learn if they are not there, so that part is good,” Mrs. Fagan said. “The bad part is that it puts more of a burden on teachers to do one more thing.”

Some teachers let students get away with being tardy.

“Teachers are very busy with the short blocks and may forget, or may not feel it is worth their time to mark the student tardy,” Mrs. Fagan said. “Other students with different teachers will have consequences.”

Students are allowed four recorded tardies a semester before having serious repercussions. Five tardies equates one Detention Hall, and two tardies in one day gives the student a day at AC.