Recently, attendance officials noticed multiple “Beyoncés” had started signing in to get tardy passes from the attendance office, despite the fact that no one named Beyoncé attends Grady. “Tupac” has also signed in, a clear indicator that students are lying about their identity to get a tardy pass with impunity. This enforcement loophole is one of the problems the new tardy policy will remedy, said Assistant Principal David Propst.

On Nov. 1, students who arrived at school late waited in the cafeteria for the slip of paper that would permit them to go to class. Tardy passes have always been given to late students, but recently Grady has made its attendance policy more restrictive. Rather than simply reporting their name, the time and their homeroom number, students are now required to provide photo identification in order to receive a tardy pass. This additional step has caused students to get to class later than usual.

“You [have to] have an ID,” freshman Jonquavious Tate said while waiting in a line of about 10 people to receive his tardy pass.

“I got to school 10 minutes late,” Tate said. “I’ve been waiting for about 20 minutes [in the cafeteria]. [The administration] told us to sit and wait in the cafeteria if we don’t have an ID.”

Tate was among approximately 40 students sitting in the cafeteria without photo identification. The administration was waiting for students with photo identification to be checked in first.

While Tate stood in the line of students waiting for passes around 8:45 a.m., other people who were also waiting to get a pass sat at the tables in the cafeteria. Freshman Madeline Wootten and sophomore Nadia Jackson chose to sit at a cafeteria table to wait for the line to subside.

Wootten said she arrived at school at 8:15 a.m. Assistant Principal Rodney Howard, however, told her to go get a pass since she was not in class by the time the late bell rang. Wootten waited for at least 20 minutes to obtain a tardy pass.

“School begins at 8; it’s always been like that,” Propst said.

He, along with Business and Entrepreneurship Academy leader Willie Vincent, believes the new system may encourage more students to arrive early. Vincent said he has been seeing fewer students arrive late each day since the policy began.

“When school buses get [here] late, it changes the whole mind set,” Propst said. “When the bell rings at 8:15, that doesn’t mean go to class; it means you’re late.”

Many mornings Propst can be heard using the microphone in the cafeteria reminding students exactly when school begins and what time the late bell will ring.

“I realize that this is not an immediate fix,” Vincent said. “The students are abusing our trust.”

Vincent watches as students sign in each morning. If they do not have identification, he either requires a piece of graded work or quizzes them on their birthday or middle initial to confirm their identity.

“[The requirement to have photo identification] teaches social responsibility, you should always have your ID on you,” Vincent said.

Students’ social responsibility is not the only thing at stake.

“It’s a safety issue,” Propst said.

Two weeks prior to the instatement of the new policy, three people entered Grady off the streets as if they were students.

“A bus came in late and [while students were checking in] three people checked in who weren’t Grady students,” Vincent said.

After they checked in with fake names, they wandered the school until Howard spotted them.

“They blended in with the regular students,” Howard said. “I apprehended them in the second floor [of the] Charles Allen building. … After further questioning, they mentioned that they were students from South Atlanta.”

The three trespassers then claimed they were there to enroll as students at Grady.

“I knew [the trespassers’ claim] was not true,” Howard said, pointing out that any student wishing to enroll must have a parent or guardian present with them. “Once I found out they were trespassers, I let the police handle it.”

Howard does not know why the students came to Grady.

“We knew we had a broken system,” Vincent said. “We aren’t sure who we are letting loose in the building. We had to do something.”

The new identification requirement for tardy passes is just part of the plan to prevent these incidents, Howard said.

“There will be consequences [for not having a photo identification],” Howard said. “When we start this policy, we will send notices home detailing consequences and what will happen if students lose their IDs.”

“[The policy] is for the betterment of the safety of the students and faculty,” Howard said.