Students have all had to miss school at least once or twice throughout the year because of either a doctor’s appointment, a family emergency, or other personal reasons. In some cases, those excuses become invalid, and a doctor’s word is not enough for seniors to avoid exclusion from end-of-the-year activities.
Since the beginning of the year, many of our seniors were expected to sign an agreement for the senior year activities, but many were met with a surprise. According to this year’s agreement, excused absences will be counted against them from here on out. Students with more than 75 period absences, or about 15 days of missed school, will lose the privilege of participating in end-of-the-year senior activities.
Students had mixed views about the policy. Some had concerns, while others said it was a non-issue.
Take, for example, a student’s situation in which having surgery results in an excused absence, but still counts against the student under the senior contract. Senior Aubrey Bernal said she found herself in this situation last month when she missed seven days of school.
“Even with my doctor’s note, the school wouldn’t accept it,” Bernal said, leaving her with many concerns after her surgery and during the recovery time.
Meanwhile, a few students see the policies as reasonable.
“I think it does encourage others to be better and to be more cautious,” senior Ezekial Solis said.
By having this contract, many seniors have held themselves accountable and ensured that they are meeting the requirements, such as not being absent, while also ensuring they keep up with their grades, leading to the data being more positive for our staff and ensuring participation.
Assistant Principal Rebecca LeGrant said the policy will help students.
“Our policy has always been to partly hold students accountable, but it is also a nudge to push students to be more assertive and do a bit more of self-advocacy,” LeGrant said.
