Last year, we brought together some of the most forward-thinking educators at MingaCon, our user conference hosted at Santiago High School in California. The event was packed with insights, hands-on workshops, and real-world success stories from schools using Minga to solve major challenges.
One of the most impactful sessions came from Cody Little, principal of Mustang High, who shared how his school tackled chronic tardiness head-on using Minga. He broke down their step-by-step approach, the key changes they implemented, and how they transformed their school’s tardy problem—bringing numbers down to a manageable level.
Check out the video highlights from the session to hear directly from Cody about what worked and what other schools can learn from their success.
Mustang High – Oklahoma’s Third Largest School
With 4,000 students, Mustang High School—Oklahoma’s third-largest high school—struggled with inconsistent tardy tracking, administrative inefficiencies, and growing discipline issues. Student tardiness was recorded inconsistently, enforcement was uneven, and administrators were bogged down with manual tracking in Google Sheets and Forms. That all changed with Minga.
What began as a digital hall pass system quickly evolved into an end-to-end tardy management solution after Mustang High recognized the scalability of Minga’s platform. The hall pass system provided an opportunity to fully automate tardy slips through student-driven check-ins, all while streamlining automated communication with parents. Building on this foundation, the school customized escalating consequences using Minga’s behavior management tools, creating a progressive discipline framework that reinforced accountability while ensuring equitable enforcement for all students. The result? First-hour tardies dropped from 275 to just 47 per day.
The Challenge: Tardiness, Crowded Hallways, & Inefficiency
Mustang High School’s tardy tracking system was disorganized, labor-intensive, and difficult to enforce. Without a structured enforcement process, discipline issues escalated, hallway supervision was difficult, and teachers carried an unnecessary administrative burden.
- Unstructured Hallway Movement: With thousands of students, passing periods often lead to crowded hallways and unregulated social gatherings, making supervision and discipline enforcement nearly impossible.
- Inconsistent Tardy Tracking: Some teachers diligently recorded tardies, while others did not, leading to inconsistent attendance records. In Oklahoma, three tardies equal an absence, meaning students were impacted differently depending on their teacher’s tracking habits.
- Administrative Burden: Tardies were being logged manually in Google Sheets and Forms, leading to inconsistencies, inefficiencies, and transparency issues. The lack of an integrated behavioral management system meant teachers were responsible for enforcing school policies on their own.
- Increased Discipline Issues: Addressing large groups of late students often led to confrontations and classroom disruptions, adding stress for both teachers and administrators.
- Lack of Communication with Parents: PowerSchool notified parents about unverified absences but provided no automated communication for tardies or escalating behaviors, making it difficult for parents to stay informed.
The Solution: Implementing a Tardy Management System
To resolve these challenges, Mustang High implemented Minga’s automated tardy management system, transitioning from manual enforcement to a streamlined, student-driven process.
End-to-End Tardy Management
Student-Driven Check-Ins: To eliminate manual tardy tracking, Mustang High introduced a flexible check-in system that allows students to check in using either Tardy Stations or QR codes outside classrooms. Initially staffed by student leaders, Tardy Stations have now transitioned to kiosk mode, where students enter their ID to check in independently. Meanwhile, QR code check-ins allow students to scan with their phones, instantly logging their tardy on their digital ID. These dual options ensure a seamless, efficient process while allowing schools to adapt the system to their layout and staffing needs.
New Tardy Workflow for Teachers: With student-driven check-ins, teachers no longer waste valuable class time tracking tardies. As soon as a student checks in late—whether through a kiosk or QR code—Minga automatically generates a tardy digital hall pass, serving as their required entrance ticket. This eliminates interruptions, allowing teachers to simply shut their doors and start teaching while Minga handles the rest. No more chasing down late students or manually entering attendance—just a smooth, distraction-free transition into learning.
Automated Parent Notifications: With Minga, parents are instantly notified via text and email when their child is marked tardy or receives a behavioral consequence, eliminating the need for teachers to make calls home. These automated alerts keep families informed with real-time data, reducing confusion and ensuring accountability. If a student misses a detention, Minga automatically assigns in-school suspension (ISI) and notifies parents, keeping the process consistent without adding extra work for staff.
Consistent Consequences & Progressive Discipline: Mustang High’s progressive discipline framework ensures that tardy policies are clear, consistently enforced, and designed to build better habits. With Minga, every tardy is automatically logged, and consequences escalate based on predefined thresholds:
- Three tardies = an absence
- Six tardies = detention
- Nine tardies = in-school suspension (ISI)
By automating these steps, Minga eliminates inconsistencies and manual enforcement, ensuring students experience fair and transparent discipline across all classrooms. Each consequence is assigned and tracked within Minga, reducing disputes and reinforcing accountability
Seamless Integration with Student Devices: Minga ensures seamless accessibility by integrating directly with student devices, reinforcing accountability at every step. At Mustang High, students can check in and receive tardy notifications using personal smartphones, school-issued 1:1 Chromebooks, or on-site kiosks, providing multiple options based on individual and school preferences.
Because Minga remains pinned as a browser tab on student Chromebooks, tardy notifications appear instantly, ensuring students are immediately aware of their status and next steps. This level of integration removes excuses, keeps students informed, and reinforces a structured, technology-driven approach to tardy management.
Outcomes
Minga’s tardy management system transformed Mustang High School’s approach to student accountability, reduced administrative burdens, and ensured consistent enforcement. By automating tardy tracking, hall pass management, behavioral consequences, and communication, the school eliminated inconsistencies, improved student behavior, and significantly reduced the workload for teachers and administrators.
Key Results:
- 82% decrease in first-hour tardies, dropping from 275 to just 47 per day.
- Consistent enforcement eliminated inequities between classrooms.
- Automated communication ensured parents received real-time updates, reducing disputes.
- Increased student accountability and responsibility lead to clear hallways, minimized disruptions, and increased instructional time.
- Reduced teacher workload—no more manual tracking, calling parents, assigning tardies, or enforcing consequences.
- Enhanced progressive discipline framework and tardy polcies with escalating consequences that are designed to be proportionate to the frequency and severity of the tardiness.
With Minga fully embedded into school operations, Mustang High has set a new standard for efficient and equitable tardy management. Want to see how Minga can transform tardy management at your school? Find out today by booking a demo with one of our experts!
