Policy 2418P

A student or his/her parents/guardians may request a waiver of up to two elective credits during his/her year of expected graduation from high school due to the student’s circumstances. The High School Principal will review each request on a case-by-case basis and use his or her judgment, experience and knowledge of the student to determine whether the circumstances exist to justify the waiver.

Request Process

Requests will be made using the district’s form 2418F made available for this purpose and will include any materials (e.g., letter from the student’s licensed physician) that document the student’s circumstances. Requests must be received by the High School Principal’s office no less than thirty days prior to graduation. The High School Principal may waive the thirty day deadline in cases of catastrophic events occurring within thirty days of graduation that have a direct effect on the student or students requesting a waiver.

Determination

In determining whether to grant the request for waiver based on a student’s circumstances such as those listed in Policy 2418, the High School Principal will consider factors such as:

• Unique limitations directly affecting the student as a result of the unusual circumstances;
• Whether the unusual circumstances were beyond the student’s control;
• Whether the unusual circumstances compromised the student’s ability to learn;
• The student’s efforts to cope with the unusual circumstances;
• Documentation provided by the student’s parents or guardians;
• Possible discriminatory effects on the student and/or possible disparate impact on a group of students if the waiver is not granted; and
• Significant decline in the student’s academic performance following the occurrence of the unusual circumstances.

In considering whether to grant the waiver, the High School Principal may, in his or her discretion, consult with school staff who have knowledge of the student and with any person identified in the application as having knowledge of the student’s unique circumstances.

Response Process

The High School Principal will provide a response to a request for waiver within ten (10) business days. A response granting the waiver will include the number of elective credits that will be waived and notification that completion of the remainder of required credits is required for graduation. A response denying the waiver will state the reason(s) therefore, which may include, but are not limited to the following:

• The request was received within less than thirty days of graduation and does not concern a catastrophic event;
• The request did not include sufficient information to justify waiver of high school graduation credit; and
• The request was not based on documented or verifiable events that would justify waiver of high school graduation credit.

The High School Principal’s decision is final and will only apply to the student’s current graduation year.

 

Adoption Date: April 28, 2020