Last year, MCPS eliminated its Loss of Credit policy (LC policy), and with no LC policy this year, CHS students have been cutting and tardy to classes more often, according to security team leader Terry Bell and attendance secretary Harriet Feldman. Consequently, a survey was sent out to sample teacher opinions regarding the effectiveness of the repeal of the LC policy. The results of the survey have not yet been released.

According to MCPS Student Member of the Board of Education Alan Xie, the county SGA continuously cited that the LC policy punished students’ grades using their attendance, which violated the grading policy.

“MCPS is committed to ensuring that its policies and regulations are streamlined for the most effective operation of schools,” Xie said.

According to Feldman, however, absences have noticeably increased this year, more than previous years.

According to Principal Joan Benz, a less formal structure of the LC policy makes students believe that they do not need to be in class.

Despite the lack of an official LC policy, the parents of students who are consistently absent still receive letters informing them of their children’s absences.

“If you are not in class, it is really hard to pass,” social studies teacher Arthur Bescher said.

While some CHS students have been abusing the lack of an LC policy, others have been attending classes consistently.

“I do not skip class often because I always have important work in my

classes,” senior Ronke Obayomi said. “Most importantly, I do not want my teachers to label me as the girl who always skips.”

Some students feel reinstating the policy would be unfair.

“I do not think we are abusing the LC policy because if that’s what MCPS wanted, that’s what they get,” Obayomi said. “And it’s not abusing because in the end you have to make up the work anyway.”

While many students may hope the LC policy is never reinstated, staff members hope to see more organization in the system.

“I would like to see something put in place by MCPS that has some structure to it,” Bescher said. “I think there has to be some kind of punishment for unexcused absences and tardies.”

According to Benz, supervision and management of absences will become more structured next year so students will realize if they do not come to class, they will not do well.

“In the workforce, no boss is going to put up with an employee deciding to skip work or come in late,” Feldman said.