Bridgewater-Raritan High School (BRHS) recently introduced its new Late Policy for the 2025-2026 school year, yielding several mixed reactions among the student body. The policy was implemented in an effort to reduce tardiness, which was a major issue last year, according to administration and staff.

The policy states that every four tardies to the same class will result in an unexcused absence, with excessive tardiness potentially resulting in loss of credit and further disciplinary action, as detailed in the 2025-2026 Student Handbook.

If a student arrives late to school and reaches class within the first 25 minutes of the period, with a pass from the attendance office, it counts as an unexcused tardy; if arrival is after the first 25 minutes, it is marked as an unexcused absence. Failure to sign in when late to school will result in a cut of any class not attended.

Regarding arriving late to class, being fewer than 10 minutes late results in an unexcused tardy, while being late for 10 minutes or more is a class cut.

In addition, seniors who accumulate 15 tardies in any given course will lose on-campus parking privileges.

Shubham Roy-Choudhury, a sophomore who does not take the bus to school, expressed his thoughts on the new policy. 

“Although I haven’t faced any new difficulties, the policy has definitely made me more cautious about arriving at school on time,” he said.

Being late to class is unavoidable at times, but it can have negative consequences when recurring consistently. Overall, this policy will have an impact on the general student body, raising questions about reducing tardiness and arriving on time to class. For further information, students are encouraged to reference the BRHS website and student policies.