Good afternoon,
We feel like it is important to clarify some of the procedures around seniors who invoking the law to dismiss themselves, based on their being age of 18 and having reached the age of majority. As we shared in our senior class meeting earlier this month, we hope to not get to the point of invoking some of these consequences, but it would appear that some students are feeling more entitled to certain things than they ought to be, particularly at this juncture of the year. We shared this exact message with the students earlier today, and we hope to enlist your support as we prepare for these final months of the school year.
It is 100% accurate that a student who is 18 can dismiss him or herself from school. However, when that student leaves school and does not have a reason for the excused absence (i.e. medical appointment, court, legal appointment that cannot be scheduled outside the school day, college visit), and then the student misses class, the student is considered to have cut class or been absent from class without permission. Dismissing during a privilege or Early College block has been permitted, so long as the senior privilege has not been revoked, though we are, at this point, seriously considering removing that for the remainder of the year and moving toward directed study halls.
The language about Senior Privileges from the Handbook is below. We call your attention specifically to #'s 3 and 4, which had been relaxed during COVID-19 but will be followed verbatim:
Senior Privileges
Senior Privileges allow seniors who are on pace to graduate, have maintained academic and behavioral standards, and who wish to have a greater personal independence to elect a self-directed period in the schedule. With administrative approval, a student may elect a Privilege Block both semesters of the senior year. The purpose of this privilege is to permit seniors to practice the core values of responsibility and integrity.
Guidelines for Senior Privileges:
- Seniors must be passing all subjects at the end of each quarter. Grades are reviewed and privileges suspended or restored on the Monday following the date of report cards being issued.
- The senior must be on pace to graduate on time, without any outstanding failures or with the ability to take one period for no credit.
- The senior will elect a period called “self-directed” senior privilege. When that period falls at the start of the day, s/he will be permitted to arrive to school late, at 8:24 a.m., and when that period falls at the end of the day, s/he will be permitted to be dismissed at 12:55. During the day, the senior is permitted to work independently in the library, breakout area, guidance, or cafeteria. Seniors may not leave and return to school if this period falls during period 2, 3, 4, or 5. Students participating in athletics or extracurricular activities are allowed to leave during the last period of the day, and return for their after school commitments.
- This procedure is a privilege; it can be revoked by administration or parent at any time.
- Only those students who have the senior privilege contract signed by an administrator may participate.
- Those students arriving late to school in the morning must sign-in at a designated area outside the main office, and will report directly to the cafeteria. Students must be on time for the second period of the day.
- Students must leave the school grounds immediately after signing out and not loiter on school grounds if leaving early.
- Parents or guardians must sign a release form that releases the school of the responsibility of the student upon the student’s dismissal to school, or prior to the student’s arrival.
- In the event that a student’s privilege has been revoked, student or parent-requested dismissals that include the designated privilege period will not be granted, unless a dismissal is administratively approved. If it is determined that a student is circumventing a privilege that has been revoked by being dismissed during what would have been a privilege period, the student will face school consequences.
- With administrative approval, a student may elect a Privilege Block both semesters of the senior year.
The Handbook is pretty specific about disciplinary consequences for infractions that occur that can result in social consequences, specifically considering the prom, senior week, and graduation, all of which are privileges:
Social and Extracurricular Suspension
- The principal or designee may remove a student from privileges, such as extracurricular activities and attendance at school-sponsored events, based on the student’s misconduct.
- Severe or excessive disciplinary referrals may result in ineligibility for all extra-curricular activities including but not limited to: sports teams, clubs, dances, social events, Junior Prom/Senior Prom etc. Students and parents will have a meeting with administration and receive written notification when in danger of receiving such consequences.
- Further, if a senior student possesses excessive disciplinary referrals, he/she will not be permitted to take part in any senior week activities (those activities that traditionally take place during the week following Senior Release). This may also include senior trips, Senior Scholarship Night and/or graduation ceremonies.
- In cases of social and/or extracurricular suspension, the decision of the principal’s designee (i.e. the assistant principal) may be appealed to the principal, whose decision will be final.
Please note that #1 above does not state the nature of the misconduct, only that we reserve the right to remove students from privileged events. Students who are consistently cutting class by absenting/dismissing themselves from school, under the guise of being "18," will be held accountable. Parent notes in these cases will not suffice, particularly since students who are 18 are taking responsibility for their own action when dismissing.
We understand that the seniors have had a challenging and unique course of time here at UHS, and we are excited to work with the class on many of their culminating events. We simply do not want some of their decisions to end up creating more significant problems than anticipated, which can obviously compromise prom, senior week, and graduation, which, unfortunately, seems to be the case for at least some students every year.
We appreciate the support.
Michael D. Rubin, Principal
Uxbridge High School
