ETHS leaders propose ending 'no credit' sanction and overhaul tardy rollover to focus on support and equity

Dr. McNeil, the district administrator leading MTSS work, and Manera Bolas, director of student services, told the board they recommend eliminating the district’s "no credit" (NC) sanction and redesigning tardy rollover policies to emphasize support rather than punishment.

The presentation summarized a year-long review and student/staff talking circles and highlighted three central findings: 42% of NC entries duplicated failing grades on transcripts and were therefore redundant; enforcement rates were highly unequal—"0 white students lost credit due to an NC," while Black and Latinx students faced enforcement rates of about 8–9%; and 76% of students affected by NC were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating socioeconomic disparities in access to documentation and waiver processes, the presenters said.

"The NC policy applies a behavioral intervention to an academic problem," Manera Bolas said, urging a shift to supports that address root causes such as transportation, caregiving responsibilities and barriers to accessing waiver mechanisms. She described a proposed MTSS-aligned replacement that would: remove NC as a sanction; expand tier 1 universal supports and incentives; provide targeted tier 2 interventions (check-in/check-out and individualized attendance success plans); and reserve virtual-school or intensive credit-recovery options for tier 3 students who are chronically truant.

Dr. McNeil said the school will track implementation with updated dashboards and data work with the district data team. "We want to shift from punitive outcomes to proactive student support," she said, noting staff will continue to pilot hall clearances, late-entry procedures and incentive strategies.

On tardies, the presenters proposed capping the number of tardies that roll into a new school year at 11 so students start each year with a manageable status and an early check-in requirement. Under the plan, early in-year hall-clearance responses would escalate (first—a phone call home; second—restricted lunch; third—restricted study or two-hour detention; fourth and beyond—Saturday detention or loss of privileges). Tardy-reduction plans would be individualized, focused on reducing the actual number of late arrivals rather than requiring students to "work off" tardies in a way that does not change punctuality.

Board members praised the depth of the data review and asked detailed questions about who serves as the "champion" for students at the six-unexcused-absence threshold under the old policy. Manera Bolas said champions are grade-level team members who collaborate with counselors, deans and teachers but emphasized that, because the NC sanction would be removed, the waiver process tied to NC would no longer be necessary.

The team also flagged grading-practice inconsistencies that interacted with attendance rules; Dr. McNeil said a grading committee will work next year to recommend more standardized, mastery-rooted grading practices that align with the attendance changes.

The presentation concluded with action steps: eliminate the NC sanction, implement tiered interventions and incentives, pilot the within-year tardy approach (cap rollover at 11), and develop a public-facing attendance campaign to partner with families. Board members indicated strong support and asked staff to return with implementation details and data dashboards.

What's next: staff will refine intervention pathways, convene the grading committee and present specific policy language and dashboard metrics to the board for review before implementation next school year.