Proviso superintendent announces new tardy stations and stricter consequences at Proviso West to address attendance and on-time arrival

Superintendent Mohit (district superintendent) told the Proviso Township High School District 209 Board on Jan. 14 that the district is piloting a technology and enforcement plan at Proviso West to reduce chronic tardiness and improve instructional time.

The plan includes installation of 14 dedicated tardy stations across the school (at least four per floor), student ID scanning to produce tardy passes that automatically update the student information system, and a stepped consequences structure that administrators will enforce. "Students will be allowed three tardies per week," the superintendent said. "Beyond that, on the 4th tardy, they will be given a one-hour detention. If they're late to any class for more than 10 minutes, they will get a detention. If they get three detentions within a week, they'll end up with a Saturday detention. If they miss that Saturday detention, it'll lead to an in-school suspension. If they refuse the in-school suspension, it'll lead to out-of-school suspension."

The superintendent described the operational rollout as already underway in a practice phase and said the district is working directly with technology staff and school administrators. Technology director Michael Swanson was named as helping identify a system that integrates with the district’s PowerSchool student information system. The superintendent said the district is practicing the system during the week of Jan. 13 and expects to allow two to three weeks for the new procedures to take hold.

Parents, transportation and equity: Board members asked whether students who arrive late because of bus delays would be penalized; the superintendent replied, "If the bus is late, the students will be excused. There'll be no consequences given to students. That's out of their control." The superintendent also said the district will increase parent outreach — phone calls and documented notices — and track repeated infractions so staff can intervene with families and counselors.

Why this matters: District leaders said chronic tardiness and absenteeism harm instructional time and cited a national increase in post-pandemic absenteeism as context. At Proviso West specifically, administrators reported long waits for handwritten tardy passes and inefficiencies that the scanning stations are meant to eliminate.

Implementation details and supports: The superintendent said the district will place staff in the building to help students navigate the new stations, create instructional videos for students, hold parent meetings (a recent town hall at Proviso West drew about 25 community members) and work with coaches and athletic staff to ensure consistent expectations. School leaders will identify students with repeated tardies for targeted interventions and five-week reviews of attendance, behavior and grades.

Concerns and oversight: At least one board member cautioned that suspensions have been a statewide concern and asked the district to track suspension rates carefully as the new enforcement proceeds. The superintendent said the goal is to avoid out-of-school suspensions where possible and to emphasize progressive interventions.