Well don't let staring at the sun or packing your lunch make you late for school - especially if you attend a high school in Utah, where students are being charged a fine for being tardy.
It's got some parents pretty upset. Reporter Tamara Vaifanua tells us why.
Julie Rae/ parent:
"we received an email from the school district that outlined the policy."
Julie Rae’s son attends Stansbury high where a new policy has been put in place to curb tardiness.
Students who are chronically late will be required to pay a fine.
The first offense is a warning.
If they're caught a second time they'll have to pay a $3 dollar fine and after that the fee goes up to $5.
Only administrators, not teachers, will issue the tickets.
Julie Rae/ parent:
"I feel like it's flawed logic on behalf of the school."
Rae agrees the fines can teach students personal accountability and responsibility but she says administrators should have consulted with parents beforehand to get their input.
Julie Rae/ parent:
"I think it's just going to be a Band-Aid to an actual problem that could be resolved with different methods."
Stansbury high's principal Gailynn Warr and assistant principal Cody Reutzel tell me they're already seeing a big improvement.
Gailynn Warr/ principal:
"we just implemented it on Tuesday and this week we've handed out just warnings, no fines at all."
Cody Reutzel/ asst. Principal:
"what we're really trying to target is those periods between classes where really it's a choice. It's a personal decision of whether you're going to walk from class a to class b and be on time."
But some parents like Brett Dennison thinks the school is just trying to nickel and dime students.
Brett Dennison/ parent:
"there's a lot of families out there that are economically stressed. They're not gonna be able to pay these fines."
If students can't pay the fees they can take lunch detention or show a clean tardy attendance for a few weeks.
The money collected from the fines will go towards a school fund that will go directly back to students for incentives.
Gailynn Warr/ principal:
"we're not after the money. We just want our kids to be in class."
In Tooele county, Tamara Vaifanua
RICK: Thanks, Tamara. Being punctual is a good habit to learn through school. But of course sometimes things get in our way and make us late. Do you think there should be a consequence for being late to school or class?
Write to us and let us know. If you think yes, there should be a consequence - tell us why and what should it be? And if you don't think there should be a consequence, tell us why not?
Send your emails to NewsDepth and ideastream dot org or fill out the inbox section on our website.
Maybe you can come up with a creative solution - like these librarians in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
They hosted a day to let kids read off their library fines at the L.E. Phillips library. Every fifteen minutes of reading knocked a dollar of fines off a kid's bill.
Instructional Links
Website Article: Freakonomics, What Makes People Do What They Do? | Study of what happens when people are fined for being late.
Video: PBS LearningMedia, TV411, Time Management | Learn to use a schedule to handle time wisely.
Website Article: Columbus Public Library, Columbus Metropolitan Library To Eliminate Overdue Fines