A high school principal in Pennsylvania has suspended nearly half of the student population after an alarming number of unexcused absences.

About 500 students at Harrisburg High School have received suspension notices as the school’s principal has begun cracking down on the issue of unexcused absences among students.

According to PennLive, at least 100 of the students issued suspension notices have served one-day suspensions following Principal Lisa Love’s effort to crackdown on the problem.

Principal Love says that students are showing up to school, but are not showing up to class.

The principal spoke about the issue during a meeting between school officials and parents.

“The problem I’ve noticed here as principal is that students are coming to school but they are not going to classes when they get here,” Love said. “Many parents send their kids to school and they’re thinking they’re going to class. I needed to reach out because of the enormous number not going to class.”

Instead of going to class, many students spend their time in bathrooms, the gym, hanging out in the hallways, and other areas. The principal felt she had to do something radical to lay down the law that this is no longer tolerated.

“If you’re not in class, all you’re here to do then is to wreak havoc upon the school and disrupt the work that we are trying to do here. And that’s to focus on student achievement,” the principal said.

School officials told reporters that with a new principal comes new expectations for all, and one of the ways to get a handle on the school’s low graduation rate and low test scores was to get the students to actually show up for class.

According to Assistant Principal Keith Edmonds the school sent notices home for students who have missed at least 35 classes in a 45 day marking period, which is equivalent to a week of unexcused absences, since students are scheduled for seven classes each day.

Parents always complain about their children’s schools not taking a stance in helping their kids get a better education. Well, this new principal has taken that stance, and so now it’s up to the parents and their students to make sure the students make it to class, and on time.

H/T America Now