In an epidemic of class ditching students at Davis increasingly find themselves in conflict with the school administration and staff who are trying to keep them in the classroom. 

When you walk the halls of Davis during class time you will see many students sitting on the benches alone or hanging out with a group of friends. These aimless wanderers usually either have home release or are purposefully not attending their classes. 

Mike Criddle, resource officer at Davis high school, talked about the frequency of these hall wanderers saying he saw them “constantly” and further added that “some of them have legitimate reasons to be outside of class, but sometimes they do not. Those who do not usually have a group of friends they hang around… it is a big problem.” 

While attendance has gone up since the end of the covid-19 lockdowns, many students still decide to hang out in the halls instead of going to their classes. Others decide to stay at the school during home release. 

One student in the hall during class said “I have home release and I want to eat lunch with my friends” he said after being asked why they were out in the hall during 3rd period and why they chose to stay here. 

That leaves us to wonder why students choose to go in the halls during class time. 

Officer Criddle explains why “kids get bored in school… sometimes there is a substitute in class, and they feel it is all right to ditch. Others just do not want to be in class or have a low attention span.” 

No matter the reason for ditching their classes the consequences for those who do are steep. Administrative U’s, truancies, parent involvement, and other punishments are enforced when someone has been missing class too much. 

“I usually go out and talk to them and try to build rapport with them so I can get them back in the classroom. Usually when I tell them to get to class, they reluctantly agree and head over to their classroom. Other times I escort students or walk with them to their classrooms to make sure they go.” Said officer Criddle when asked what he does when he sees students in the hall during class. 

There are many reasons that students give to ditch class but no matter the reason it still effects your grades and standing in the school.  

 Officer Criddle gave one final statement to the students ditching school saying “I was once in the same place you guys were, I made the same mistakes and I’m here telling you to not make the same mistakes as me… this is the short time of your life where you get to learn and develop, if you develop these bad habits now you will carry them with you into the future.”