Gloucester High School has made some significant changes since students have returned to full in-person school. 

Attendance

GHS has reinstated the attendance failure policy, which had been suspended for the 2020-2021 school year.  Any student who has more than six unexcused absences from a class, will receive an automatic failure for the class. GHS has also removed the 15 minute grace period for tardiness to school. Athletes and club members now have to be in class at 7:30am to be able to participate in their activity. 

“We are trying to improve our attendance rates and we felt that the 7:30 to 7:45 threshold wasn’t helping,” said Assistant Principal Christopher Kobs. “Pushing it back to 7:30 gives that expectation for everyone that we are here on time to learn,” Assistant Principal Allison Alves said. 

Some students have received late passes marked at 7:30 exactly. 

“It’s not about when you get to school or which hallway you are in,” Kobs said. “You need to be seated in your class at that time.  We understand that some of the students have complained saying I would have been there only a couple minutes late if I didn’t have to wait in this line.  There is no line if kids are on time.”

Kobs said he understands students’ frustration, and advised students to “wake up a little earlier.” 

Hats

After many decades, hats and hoods are finally allowed in classrooms. Hats need to be turned backwards while in the hallways, so students can be more easily identified. As long as there is no brim on the hat, it is always allowed in classrooms and hallways.

“The whole reason for not wearing a hat is for safety,” Kobs said.  “With the brim being turned around or taken off, we can now see the face much better than if a hat was worn.”

Some students may still wear hats and hoods in class as long as the teacher is okay with it. 

“In the classroom if a hat is on frontwards, or if there is a hood on in the classroom, that would be because the teacher has already made that connection with the student and knows their face,” Alves said. 

QR codes and seating charts

Students are required to scan QR codes in both the Cafeteria and auditorium. “The QR codes are a way to not have any assigned seats,” Alves said. “It’s a way to give you guys freedom to sit with your friends and change your seats daily.” 

Teachers are now required to have a seating chart as well, however most teachers have given students the freedom to choose their assigned seats.

Long Block

After a year we are reinstating the rotating long block back into schedules. “The extended block allows for subject matter that could potentially take longer to cover to be completed,” Kobs said. Long block is Gloucester High School’s way to give each teacher an extended class time with their students every seven days. 

Free lunch 

Lunch is now free for all students. Free lunch “is funded with the federal stimulus money for COVID relief,” Alves said. “It started in march of 2020 with the bagged lunches…it continued all through the pandemic year with the bagged lunch and we are lucky enough to still have the funding that now we can give free lunch to everyone.”  For the rest of the year kids can get both free lunch and breakfast through the school. Students are also allowed to eat in the cafeteria, the auditorium, and outside when the weather permits.