Usually this phrase applies to baseball. At an elementary school in San Antonio, Texas, however, it also applies to the late policy.

After six-year-old Brooke was tardy to school three times, the kindergartner was punished with a one-hour detention. Her parents, understandably, were upset. Although her mom offered to do volunteer work for the school rather than have her daughter sit in detention, the administration turned her down. In the end, Brook did her time by splitting it up over two days during her lunch period because she wasn’t able to stay after school when detention usually takes place.

Read the full story together here, and then see what your kids think. Some suggested questions are below.

Is detention a fair consequence for a six year old who is late? Is it a fair consequence for a kindergartner in any circumstance? Why or why not?

The parents apparently signed a form agreeing to this late policy. Do the parents then have a responsibility to honor what they agreed to without complaint?

Would you change the tardiness policy if you were in charge? How?

The mother in this story proposes offering positive reinforcement by rewarding kids who are on time, rather than punishing kids who are late. Do you think this is a good idea? How has positive reinforcement worked for you in the past?

How do they handle tardiness where you go to school? Do you think it’s fair?

What are your thoughts about lateness? Do you think being “on time” is important? Why or why not?

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