More than 100 students were locked out of Barrington High School on Wednesday morning as officials took a hard stance enforcing the school's tardiness policy.

At exactly 7:40 a.m., school administrators and custodians locked the exterior doors of the school and re-routed all late-arriving students to the main entrance. 

The outdoor temperature was about 18 degrees as a line of students formed along the sidewalk in front of the building. One by one, the late-arriving students filed into the main office and signed in. 

"Students need to be in their seats by 7:40," said Barrington High School Principal Joseph Hurley. "The first bell rings at 7:35. That tells students they have five minutes to get to their first period classes."

Mr. Hurley said he and other administrators had noticed that too many students were arriving 10, 15 and sometimes 20 minutes after the start of first period. The principal said some late-arriving students believed that they were only missing the broadcast of the school's Sunrise Show — a televised morning news show produced entirely by students.

Mr. Hurley said officials had warned students about the strict enforcement of the tardiness policy with an email on Friday, Jan. 26, and reminders on the Sunrise Show. At 7:40 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 29, school officials locked the exterior doors and ordered dozens of students to sign in late at the office. Mr. Hurley said most of the late-arriving students were dropped off by their parents or drove their own cars to school.

On Tuesday, the start of the school day was delayed an hour in Barrington because of a snowstorm, but officials resumed enforcement of the tardiness policy on Wednesday. 

"We probably had about 100 kids coming in late today," said Mr. Hurley, during an interview on Wednesday.

Years ago, Barrington High School students would report to home rooms at the start of each day, but that changed when Mr. Hurley took over. Home rooms were eliminated and students were directed to go to their first period classes. 

Mr. Hurley said the tardiness issue is not new, but needed to be addressed. 

Administrators had noticed more and more students arriving late to school and milling about in the hallways when they were supposed to be in their first period classes. The official policy calls for students to be in their seats at 7:40, and there are penalties for those not following the rules.

"If kids are late, they're not going to be able to participate in extracurricular activities after school or sports that day," said Mr. Hurley. "We feel it's very important to be in class on time."

Mr. Hurley said the late arrivals were part of a growing set of concerns — officials said students will not be allowed to roam the halls, especially during lunch period, without passes from teachers, and educators in the building are also being required to wear their name tags. 

Mr. Hurley said he was confident students would respond well to the newly-enforced arrival time. 

As for the situation on Wednesday morning when tardy students were stuck outside in cold temperatures while they were waiting to sign in, Mr. Hurley said officials would next time move the line indoors to the corridor next to the music rooms.

He added: "As we continue to monitor this and hold it to what it should be, you will have fewer and fewer kids who are caught off guard."