Marion County students who are late to school have a new way to check-in this year.
- Tardy kiosks introduced at all middle and high schools
- Goal is to get students to class faster & cut down on absences
Public school officials say 'tardy kiosks,' are now installed in all district middle and high schools.
Students sign in using their personal identification numbers at a computer in the attendance clerk's office. A receipt then prints out, which students give to their teacher.
Before 'tardy kiosks,' Belleview High School Attendance Clerk Diane Weicherding says students had to wait in line, sometimes for an hour.
"I get 70, 80 students a day that are late," she says.
She says check-in with the kiosks takes seconds, helping kids get to class faster.
Marion County Public School officials say in the last 5 years, they've seen more students missing more school.
After introducing an attendance campaign, officials say they saw record attendance numbers last year.
They hope to increase average daily attendance by 2% this year.