The administration decided to revamp the final exemption qualifications this year and return to the pre-COVID expectations. Students now must have 90% attendance as well as other qualifications specified in order to be exempt.
“As a school we’re graded on our attendance by the state, and we’re supposed to have 90% of our students here 90% of the time,” said Principal Dr. Ted Happel.
After COVID SCHS students attendance has continued to decline with grades decreasing because of it. Currently 70% of our students are here 90% of the time according to Happel. This 90% attendance qualification has been added to many incentives like Homecoming and Prom and even non-school related field trips.
“It was very different but I kind of like this new system more. [It] definitely has a larger effect on some people I know,” senior Tyler Palmer said.
The staff’s ultimate goal is to work to encourage students to be here whenever they can. .
“Part of learning when you’re a student and understanding the responsibility of being at your job or career [is] … no one’s holding you accountable but you… The best way to be successful in high school is to be here everyday,“ Happel said
Students being in school is something that after COVID many students struggle with, but it is improving and these incentives could be partially responsible.
“I feel like I’m a little biased because I have good attendance, but I feel like if you’re able to exempt your classes; you’re able to get 90% attendance,” junior Jayden Carey said.
Administration is trying to prepare students for the real world and give them some responsibility. Part of the final revamp was students being given the responsibility of getting signatures from teachers in order to be exempt. If signatures weren’t obtained, no matter if you made the requirements you weren’t exempt.
“I think it’s been really good for the students to advocate for themselves and for their grades,“ Assistant Principal Secretary Amy Stendal said.
Stendal clears each student and approves their exemption by double checking students’ disciplinary record, attendance, and grades. With partial responsibility being shifted to the students, this also helps make her job easier when approving exemptions.
“I know that students don’t like me saying this, but it’s a good thing they’re changing it back to the way it was,” English Dept. Head Chair Tori Ramsey said.
With exemptions moving back to the way they were, it begs the question if students will be able to travel off campus during their exempted blocks. In years prior if you were exempted during a class the attendance for that block was marked as a field trip. This would allow students to stay home and miss the block they’ve exempted as a reward.
“I would love to see exams go back to the way they were years ago where students did get to travel as a reward, getting to go home and have that down time,” said Stendal.
Overall the staff wants to work to be able to allow students who’ve earned exemptions to travel but as a whole our school doesnt meet the criteria yet.
“If we could be close to that range again to where we need to be attendance-wise, I’d love to bring that [ traveling off campus] back right now, we just can’t because of what our attendance is,” said Happel.
