Jim Thorpe Area High School is tightening its senior early release policy in a shift, according to Principal Ryan Delong, driven by concerns about academic rigor, equity and college readiness.

Under a revised policy, seniors may still leave early if they have an internship, a job, a volunteer opportunity or are enrolled in a college class. All seniors in good standing, Delong added, will be able to leave around 1:30 p.m.

Beginning next school year, all seniors not meeting those criteria will be required to remain for a structured period at the end of the school day.

Delong said he reached out to every school in the county before presenting the proposal, and found that in each case, early departure was tied to employment, college coursework or a formal program — not simply an absence of classes.

The concern, he said, goes beyond attendance. Delong described witnessing students drop challenging courses — including Advanced Placement chemistry and other high-level classes — to arrange schedules that allowed them to leave school early.

“Our students were ditching high-level classes so they can go home to sleep,” Delong said. “That is unacceptable. I want our kids learning.”

Delong emphasized that the goal is not simply to keep students in the building, but to make productive use of that time. The district plans to open the weight room at the end of the day, expand library access and maintain drop-in academic support labs and MTSS programming during the extended afternoon period.

“There’s a plethora of opportunities there for kids, and it’s going to fit us,” Delong said. “They can still leave early if they’re going to a job or internship or taking classes. I just want them out there learning something.”

Equity was also a factor in the administration’s thinking. Delong noted that the current policy creates an uneven playing field between students who can drive and those who cannot.

Seniors who are not in good standing will not qualify for afternoon release, with attendance and discipline factoring into eligibility.

Delong framed the issue as one of broader cultural and competitive importance for the district.

“We want to challenge our kids. We want to compete,” Presley said. “We want to set our kids up so that they can compete with Emmaus, Parkland, Lehighton, Palmerton and all these schools, and then compete with the rest of the world.”

Delong said he never wants to hear a parent suggest that graduating from Jim Thorpe puts a student at a disadvantage.

“We want to change that,” he said. “We want our kids to be the best prepared kids, and we want to show the colleges that we’re sending them to that we are preparing them and we are putting out a great product.”