High Marks for Attendance Policy : Rio Mesa: Strict program has reduced rate of absenteeism and tardiness, but some students still don’t like it.

A tough new attendance policy at Rio Mesa High School that sparked a massive student protest when it was begun last school year has nevertheless been a huge success, school officials said Wednesday.

The number of times Rio Mesa students were late to class plunged from 13,794 in the first semester last year to 3,450 in the second half of the year after the policy was implemented, according to a report discussed by the Oxnard Union High School District board at its meeting Wednesday.

And the average number of absences dropped for all students except those failing their classes.

“It’s fabulous,” said history teacher Shari Ditlove. “For one thing, it gets the kids to class on time. For another thing, it teaches the kids the responsibility they need to enter the world of work.”

Under the new rules, students who are late to class more than once a semester have to stay after school. Students who have 10 unexcused absences in any class automatically have their grade in that class lowered by one letter.

When the school adopted the policy in February, more than 150 students walked out of their morning classes to protest what some said was an infringement of their rights.

The demonstration began peacefully but turned violent, with some students breaking windows and one allegedly shoving a teacher.

Ventura County sheriff’s deputies who descended on the school arrested 20 students, who were cited and released to their parents. Only one student, senior Ryan Genest--accused of pushing the teacher--was expelled from school. He later graduated from high school in Ventura.

Senior Frankie Perez, 17, was among those who joined in the protest.

Sitting with some other boys in the cafeteria patio during lunch Wednesday, Frankie complained that the five minutes between classes is just not enough time to get from one end of the campus to the other.

“You have to be running around the campus,” he said. “I don’t like it.”

Since school began two weeks ago, Frankie has already had to stay after school for being late to two classes.

He has also fallen victim to the tough rules on attendance.

During second semester last year, Frankie’s math grade was lowered from D to F after he missed class 10 times, forcing him to attend summer school to make up the credit.

“It’s kind of sorry,” he said about the attendance rules. “If you have a D, if you’re just passing your class, you’ll get an F. You’ll flunk.”

Indeed, the school gave out more failing grades after the attendance policy took effect, with Fs accounting for 11.9% of all marks given in the second semester compared to 8.4% in the first half of the year, the report showed.

In addition, students earning Fs were the only group for whom the average number of absences increased after the new rules were adopted.

School officials said they may re-evaluate the policy if they determine after this year that the new rules are hurting students already in danger of flunking.

Many other students echoed Frankie’s complaints, saying the tardy policy is too strict and the attendance rules unfairly link students’ grades to their attendance.

“If you’re smart enough to pull up your grade to an A after missing 20 days, then you deserve the A,” said senior Dennis Johnson, 17.

But Rio Mesa is not the only Ventura County school to lower the grades of students who miss too many days.

Moorpark High School drops students’ grades when they have five unexcused absences.

And at Thousand Oaks High School, students who are absent from a class six times without their parents’ permission are automatically dropped from the course with a failing grade, Thousand Oaks school officials said.

As at Thousand Oaks and most other high schools in the county, Rio Mesa excuses absences for illnesses, funerals of immediate family members, religious holidays or medical appointments.

But Rio Mesa students who miss class for any other reason have the opportunity to petition school officials to excuse the absence.

Because the school will excuse students who miss school for a good reason, teacher Ditlove said the attendance policy is fair.

“Teen-agers need to have something to complain about,” she said. “This is an easy one.”

She also dismissed students’ objections that there isn’t enough time between classes to get across campus.

“I’m much older than they are and I’ve walked way across campus and back again and made it back on time,” she said. “They need to learn to walk a little more rapidly.”