The voice of secretary Susan Dalton acknowledges the student standing on the other side of the glass entrance door, instructing them to come to the front desk to the left, instead of the usual office window at the left.
“Students don’t know to come to us because they don’t read the signs put in front of the doors,” said Dalton.
This policy was implemented this year for safety reasons, and the fact that, with 1900 students, there is no way for one person to filter the kids through one small check-in window. Usually the women behind the window handle taking calls to the school, checking students in, and checking them out from school.
Though the new desk handles student check-ins, students checking out still go through the window at the side of the office.
“When the students check in, they need an ID and, after 9:00 with no legal note or medical note, they will have to see Coach Wood or Coach Jones to get a note. They still need to check in at the main desk,” said Dalton.
The desk also handles taking college forms, taking note of absences due to campus activities, parents dropping off things for their kids, calling students down to the office, and also handles attendance reports.
“I thought it was a little off when I got my things from the different front desk,” said sophomore Dylan Trichell. “I did know where to go, though, and it was very beneficial that it is out front.”
The desk is easily accessible out in the front lobby, rather than going through the small attendance window like before.
Also, the TA’s for the check-out desks are now split. The desk workers try to have two TA’s for each period.
Check-outs will still be handled in the same place as always – the attendance window. The two ladies who work the desks share their shifts. When one is out sick or for lunch, only the front desk will be open.
Attendance sheets taken by substitute teachers should still be dropped off at the window as well.
The addition of a separate check-in desk should ease the work load that the attendance office workers must deal with, and make checking in and out easier for students as well.
