West has recently made a new rule regarding advisory passes, with the new expectation being no passes allowed unless for academic reasons.

Previously, students could receive passes to go to different advisories and visit friends and teachers simply for socializing, as well as for academic help.The new process consists of when a student requires academic assistance or the opportunity to make up an assignment, their academic classroom teacher issues an advisory pass. The student then goes to their advisory to check in for attendance. Students should show the pass to their advisory teacher, who signs it, and then report directly to their academic teacher to finish the tutoring or exam.

Brett Marcum, assistant principal, is responsible for this new change. When asked about the reason for this change, he explained that firstly, they wanted to ensure that students were accounted for at all times, as well as attendance for advisory dimming throughout the years.

He explains, “Adjusting the process to ensure that students report to their assigned advisory is an effort to better support student attendance to class.”

This modification improves student attendance while also assisting staff in locating students in the event of an emergency. Students can still leave advisory for academic support and remediation, but there is now a systematic process for passes in place to address the class attendance issues that have grown in recent years.

Marcum states, “It is important that we focus our efforts on ensuring that our students are safe and accounted for while in school.” 

 Improved advisory attendance will allow Deans to focus on encouraging improved attendance in academic classrooms while decreasing the time spent addressing advisory attendance.