As the new semester begins, old absences and tardies are wiped clean off of each student’s slate. Two years ago the absence limit for having to petition for credit was 20 absences, but has since been changed to 10. 

“Most of the process is laid out in the Student Handbook (section 4.6 on page 17),” said Mr. Powers, one of three Vice Principals of Academic and Student Life.

The Handbook states, “[After 10 absences] students should expect to be required to petition for credit and/or be graded on a [Pass/Fail] scale”. 

But what the handbook does not state is that first, the student’s vice principal contacts their teachers, requiring the student to have a face-to-face conversation with each teacher who they have accumulated 10 absences with. 

“It is not set in stone that the student has to petition for credit. They can speak with their teachers and create a plan to complete missing or outdated work, which keeps a level of accountability”, Mr. Powers explained. “In most cases, for students who are missing over 10 days, it is typically not a health issue, but it usually [involves a] competitive activity and they travel a lot”.

If a student has a situation where they have physical or mental health issues and has also racked up 20 or more absences, they have the option to medically withdraw from a class.

“At the end of this first semester I personally emailed teachers about five students, and maybe one of the teachers felt it was important for that student to go through the process, “ Mr. Powers stated.