Here is a draft letter addressing your concerns about the new tardy policy:
Dear Dr. Smithsonian,
I am writing to express my objections to the recently implemented "Only One Free Tardy" policy at our school. While I understand the desire to encourage punctuality, I believe this policy is overly punitive and fails to account for the diverse circumstances students face getting to school on time. I urge you to reconsider this policy for the following reasons:
Firstly, reducing the number of free tardies from two to one leaves no room for inevitable delays outside a student's control. Transportation issues, family responsibilities, and other unforeseen problems can make even the most conscientious student a few minutes late on occasion. Penalizing students the first time this happens is unreasonably harsh.
Secondly, the abrupt transition from two free tardies to only one fails to give students time to adjust their morning routines. For some, this overnight change requires an extraordinarily early wakeup time that places an unfair burden compared to previous years. A more gradual reduction would be a fairer way to improve punctuality over time.
Finally, assigning detention for a single tardy undermines important educational time for minor infractions. The hour spent in detention would be better served in class, learning alongside peers. With only one free tardy allowed, students risk losing this crucial instructional time right away.
Rather than the current "Only One Tardy" policy, I suggest returning to two free tardies per class, or gradually reducing the number over time. Additionally, detention seems an excessive consequence for first and second offenses. I hope you will reconsider the unintended effects of this policy so we can find an approach that best serves all students. Please let me know if I can provide any other perspectives on this issue.
Sincerely,
[Your name]