For the 2025-2026 school year, Lexington High School has implemented a series of new attendance and cell phone policies.
The implementation of these policies was the work of the LHS Site Council, a group of teachers, students from each grade, and parents. Principal Andrew Baker heads it: “We did summer work together, taking the feedback of the Site Council and the students. We tried to harmonize that into some changes that we thought could address the core and primary concerns of each of those groups.”
The impetus for these changes—the decline in class attendance observed by teachers—has been a central part of the discussion.
“Our numbers are particularly high and alarming in terms of attendance, also for non medical reasons. Tardiness in particular, is a big issue and has been a big issue for several years at the school,” Baker told The Musket.
In fact, the full story of participation is not just in the numbers but also in the day-to-day experiences of students and teachers who feel the effects most directly.
“They are really annoyed at the number of students who are coming to class late when they can literally see them out on the quad,” Baker explained.
Among the changes are that now four absences (last year, five) or eight tardies are needed to reach N status. For those who reach the former, an email system will inform parents and guardians.
“There are going to be a lot more reminders. For example, every Friday for certain families who have reached thresholds to tell them to check your attendance report,” Baker said.
The weekly notifications are being run in conjunction with Aspen, which will have a place for families to produce and turn in sufficient information to prove certain absences.
“We are now asking for verification or documentation. If a parent or caregiver can say, ‘My student was out because they were at the doctor’s office or on other official business,’ and provide documentation, we now have a way to track that level of detail,” Assistant Principal Daniel Melia told The Musket. “That exists in Aspen and is easy for you to use.”
Accompanying the attendance changes is the stricter enforcement of the phone ‘homes’, which are now extended to homerooms, I-Blocks, and studies. This policy was a result of policies enshrined by the Lexington School Committee.
“They wanted a policy that ensured during all structured time within the school day, phones were not available to students during any of the time on learning,” Baker said.
The implementation, though, has drawn criticism from students. However, the administration argues that, compared to schools across the country spending millions on lockable pouches, their policy is not only cost-effective but also gives students flexibility.
“It is right over there in the holder and has not been taken away from you. It is not locked in some pouch or electronically shut down. You can grab it at the end of class,” Baker said.
As students and teachers adjust to the new policies, the administration hopes the changes will foster consistency and community in classrooms.
“There’s a lot of grace in the policy for students, and then for teachers, I think they are going to see the benefits,” Baker said. “They can build community in our classrooms, collaborative skills, perspective, empathy, and working together as a member of a team.”
