Sitting in your third period math class, you look down at your phone and see a text from your mom, “why are you not in class right now?!”

As of the 2013 school year, a new program was put in place which texts or calls parents if a student is marked absent in class within the first 10 minutes.

When a student ditches class it is fair and reasonable for the school to notify the parent of that child immediately. However, often times teachers forget to take attendance or accidentally mark you absent when you’re sitting in their classroom ready to learn.

I understand teachers are extremely busy and taking attendance is probably the least important thing on their agenda. However, with this new policy that texts parents when a student misses a class is taking a huge toll on their life at home and the relationship with their parents.

Right then and there, 2 minutes into class, your parent is notified that you are not in class.

This system has wrongly accused me several times of being absent, and almost every time my parents do not believe me when I tell them I am actually in class.

This new program creates distractions in class as your phone begins to buzz from messages from your parents.

In the Piedmont High School handbook it states that cell phones may not be visible, let alone used, during class time or they will be taken away.

If your parents are texting you, it is much more likely to get in further trouble with the administration by checking your phone in class.

Students have enough stress as it is.

Getting angry and aggressive text messages from a concerned parent who is accusing you of lying or ditching class will increase this stress for an unnecessary reason.

I believe there are two simple solutions to this problem.

The first being that  teachers need to try their best to mark you present when you are in fact there. And secondly, to possibly change the notification to the next day as opposed to a few minutes into that period. That way, my class time is not interrupted by my parents calling and texting me asking where I am.