At the beginning of the year assemblies, students were informed that administration would be emphasizing attendance this school year in order to ensure that students are getting the best out of their learning experience.  

Many students have been talking about the attendance policy being too strict this year, after it was a main focus during opening presentations.  Classmates wonder if administrators have changed the policy or have just begun to enforce it.  Is this new emphasis on attendance fair to students, or is the administration being too harsh?

It is first important to note that when speaking to Mrs. Flanagan, the Interim Assistant Principal at RMHS, she said “It’s not a new policy, we’re just trying to enforce it.”

It remains to be seen whether or not this new emphasis on the attendance policy will actually improve student attendance.  A current senior, who the Orbit has elected to keep anonymous, said,  “I have definitely been coming to school more this year in comparison to last year, but it is hard to truly tell since the school year just started.”

At this point in time, it is hard to tell how much of an effect this year’s attendance enforcement has had on students.  The same anonymous senior also said,  “I wouldn’t say they are being too harsh. I would just say it’s kind of unfair because I have been waiting and looking forward to my senior year for a while.” This goes hand in hand with Mrs. Flanagan’s next topic where she compared the RMHS attendance policy to the Massachusetts state guidelines policy.  She clearly explained, “It is on target with the state policy.”