New Attendance Policy

One of the greatest controversies that high schools around the world face is the use of phones. Whether it’s completely restricted access or monitored use in classrooms, many schools are returning to stricter phone policies, including Valencia. Post-pandemic data has revealed record-high levels of chronic absenteeism and a decline in academic performance across grade levels throughout the country. School officials believe that limiting phone use could shift more attention to learning as a necessity to help recover from the lasting effects of the pandemic. 

In response, Valencia has introduced a new attendance policy for the 2025-26 school year. Starting in August, students will be required to turn their phones into the attendance office to be counted as present for their first period classes. The system is quite simple, as students will drop off their phones and show their student IDs in the morning, and attendance staff will then place each phone into clear pouches that are carefully organized by last name and grade level. At the end of the day, students will be able to check back in with their ID, and staff will quickly retrieve their phones in an efficient manner. 

Even while working to create an efficient system, school officials admit that turning in phones will certainly add time to the morning routine. However, this new policy is seen as the only practical solution to combat the excessive phone use in classes, and this can encourage students to get to school earlier to avoid long lines at the attendance office. As a reminder, Valencia made a statement that the new policy will not be an excuse for any extra tardiness, and any level of increase will result in a stricter tardy policy to be enforced. To keep this transition as smooth as possible, school officials are continually working to ensure productivity and make any slight adjustments if needed.