An Advanced Course in Showing Up

It certainly seemed, on its face, to be cruel, if not unusual, punishment.

“I am a senior at Nathaniel Narbonne High School in Harbor City,” the student’s e-mail said. “My prom and graduation are coming up, and last month our principal implemented a ‘no participation’ rule at our school.

“We are now unable to participate in graduation ceremonies or the prom if we have five or more absences. . . . I think this is unfair because, personally, I have nine absences.

“I have family members coming from out of town to see me walk across that stage, and now, not because I didn’t pass my classes, not because I beat up someone, but because I was sick . . . I will not be able to walk across that stage.

“Please . . . if you can bring this injustice to the attention of anyone who can help, I would be in your debt for life.”

Quddus Paige wasn’t the only Narbonne student in a panic over the perceived injustice. For weeks, rumors had been spreading on campus that more than half the school’s 500 seniors would be in the stands, rather than on the stage, on Graduation Day.

The reason: A rule--adopted last year, not last month--that bans any student with more than five unexcused absences in a semester from participating in school activities.

The attendance policy was created not by the principal, but by a committee of parents, teachers, students and administrators who govern the school under its reform program.

And while it took effect when school started last fall, it went largely unnoticed until last month, when notices began going home to students who’d hit the magic five-day absence mark, informing them that they would not be allowed to join their classmates at a flurry of year-end activities--including Grad Night, the prom, Senior Picnic and graduation ceremonies--unless they had acceptable explanations for their absences.

“We had a lot of kids who panicked and began flooding my office,” said assistant principal Nia Hoffman, who helps administer the program. “It was ‘Oh my God, the relatives are coming in and I’m not going to graduate. What am I going to tell my mom?’ ”

She reviewed each student’s record, cleared some and sent others to the appeals committee--made up of students, parents and teachers--to plead their cases. By the time valid absences--illness, school- or work-related appointments, family problems--were excused, 79 of Narbonne’s 487 seniors remained locked out of end-of-the-year fun.

Hoffman said dozens more students are slated to appeal this week, and she hopes more can be cleared before next weekend’s prom and graduation on June 22.

“We’re not going to tell a student who was out with chickenpox for five days that they can’t graduate,” she said. “We’re not going to punish them if they go to a college for orientation or have a job interview, or if the absence is beyond their control.

“This is not intended to be hurtful. But these are not kids. We’re talking about young adults, who are 17 and 18 years old . . . future employees.

“When they get out in the business world, most places are not going to say, ‘OK, you can have five absences this year.’ It’ll be much harsher. And we’re trying to prepare our students for that world.”

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Hoffman came to Narbonne from Bell High, which implemented a similar policy several years ago and watched attendance rise, landing Bell near the top in attendance among district high schools.

“And we found that as attendance improved, grades improved,” Hoffman said. Once students “knew we were serious about this,” only about five students weren’t allowed to participate in graduation each year.

In the policy’s first year at Narbonne, attendance has improved 2% over last year, which translates to about 60 more kids in school each day. “What this prevents is so-called ‘senioritis’ absences . . . those Mondays and Fridays the kids just skip,” Hoffman said.

Teachers have told her that grades are also rising among seniors, who often slack off in their last semester, once they’ve been accepted by a college or decided on a job.

Although it hits seniors hardest--because they have the most to lose--the policy extends to the entire school. “For grad night, I had to tell one student he could come, but he could not bring his date,” Hoffman said. “She was a junior and she’d missed too many days.”

This trend toward tightening attendance requirements is picking up steam across Los Angeles, officials say.

“It’s part of a focus on citizenship and work habits,” explains Jeri Durham, administrator of school operations for the Los Angeles Unified School District. “I’d say fewer than half the district’s [49] high schools have this sort of policy, but we’re hearing of more adding it each year.”

And while it may seem harsh to some, Durham said it passes muster with the district as long as parents and students are notified in advance, it is administered evenly and it includes an appeals process.

Hoffman said she expects Narbonne’s appeals panel to be busy this week. “We’ve got kids who are desperate now.

“But it’s a fair policy, and we’re not going to bend the rules,” she says. “I’m sorry if you’re going to miss the prom. But we’re not about the prom. Proms are nice, but that’s not why we’re here.

“I’m here to see that kids move toward their future, whether it’s at a university, a two-year college or a career,” she says. “My goal is not to see that they have a good time at the prom, but to prepare them for what life is really like.”

So there you have it, Quddus. Now, you want to repay that “debt for life”? Get into Ms. Hoffman’s office and explain yourself. Get those absences cleared and get ready to walk across the stage . . . and into the rest of your life.