A Waynesboro, Tennessee, high school has some parents up in arms after they discovered their children were made to do physical labor to make up for missed classes.

The policy says students who miss classes must make up for it with after-school activities. During the school year, students can make up the lessons with after-school tutoring sessions. After the school year ends, students who haven’t made up their classes must do physical labor.

Some of those tasks include cleaning up the school during the summer, helping bus drivers and preparing for school graduation ceremonies.

Wayne County High School Principal Ryan Franks created the policy in 2018 after dealing with rampant absences. He says he is proud of the policy and that it works.

However, some parents are outraged. Ashley Carlton, who has a freshman son at Wayne County High School, found out that he didn’t have enough time to make up his classes with tutoring so was made to power-wash the outside of the school. According to Ms. Carlton, he was not given any protective equipment and was sent home soaking.

“They did not give him, or these other kids, educational incentives at that point. They literally made them work,” Ms. Carlton told local media.

Ms. Carlson also said that when the school doesn’t have jobs for the students, they make up physical tasks. She said the staff “made a student run laps in the gym with weights on their shoulders. To me, there is nothing at all academic about that situation.”

Parents are also upset because they were not informed about the physical labor punishment. The policy is not listed in the student handbook.

Mr. Franks he told parents he will amend the handbook to include the rules.

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.