SERIOUSLY?!

Sea Oats · September 2010

Ok. So. My sophomore year of high school I switched from public school to a charter school. The way the public school does things is, we have 4 classes a semester each year. That's 8 classes total per year. The charter school has the same 7 classes both semesters all year. Not a problem, right? Wrong. I spent a full semester at the charter school, then switched back to my public high school. SOPHOMORE year, mind you. Still doesn't sound bad, right? Wrong again. I am now a senior, still at the same public high school. So close to graduation I can -smell- it. All hell broke loose today. I got called down to my counselor's office in the middle of class. All I could think was that she was going to tell me I needed to sign up for the next SAT, because I haven't taken it yet. I was wrong. She informed me that none of the credits for that semester I spent at the charter school transferred over when I switched back to public school. Now, before I go on, when I switched back and we were getting my schedule put together, my mom and I both asked if my credits would be alright. We were told that as long as I pass everything, I'll have plenty of credits to graduate. Wrong. This was 2 years ago. And it was completely looked over that I would need to make up credits at all. First off, even if I had stayed all year and switched back for the beginning of junior year, I would have been a credit short. Because, we have 8 credits a year, they only have 7. So I still would have been missing that one credit for graduation. So now, I'm short three credits. Because out of the 8 I needed for sophomore year, I only got what I took second semester. English 2, civics and economics, Spanish 1, chemistry and algebra 2. 5 credits, out of the 8 I needed. I broke down. I couldn't think of anything to do but cry. My counselor has it worked out to where I can take 2 online courses to make up what I don't have, and luckily enough I have all the core classes I need, so the online courses will be electives. So they will be easy. The last credit she is going to appeal, because it's not my fault I'm behind, I was obviously misinformed from the start. She can only appeal one credit, though, so I still have to make up the other two. I'm fine with that, as long as I get to graduate on time with my class. However, I am beyond pissed that I am just now finding out about it, 2 years after the fact. And if my counselor hadn't been looking through transcripts this morning, we may not have caught it, and then I'd be in high school another semester. I am seriously so mad right now I could explode.

RoyalRaccoon · September 2010

Something sort of similar happened to me during my sophomore year. I had a heat stroke, because I was on medication that made me sensitive to heat and light, and the public school made it so anyone that lived less than 5 miles from the school got not transportation(walking 110+ degree weather). Anyways, I was put on home hospital, which is where a teacher goes to the student's house 5 days a week until they catch up, and are healthy enough to return to school. The teachers that do the home hospital schooling are hired by the district, and teach what the school says needs to be taught, so the student can enter right back into school with no problems. Well, I believe it was after weeks of home hospital that my teacher tells me the school suddenly doesn't want to recognize my credits. Oh, you better believe I was furious. It was the last straw in a HUGE list of problems I had with that school for 2 years, so I left. I entered into an alternative, independent study school, where I was able to graduate early with extra credits and college credit. Best decision I've ever made, and you better believe I informed the public school counselor that treated me so horribly, and labeled me as a slacker. At least it was caught, and a plan has been formulated to make sure you graduate. Good luck! It would just be horrible to graduate a semester behind your peers. I'd probably explode with anger. Are the college course you're taking going to count as high school, and college credit?

Sea Oats · September 2010

I don't want to leave my school, I love it. :[ Which is why I switched back in the first place. And I'm not taking any college courses this year.. I decided to make my senior year easy.

CORY · September 2010

I would of cried a lot if that where me . D; That's gotta suck that you have to take online classes.

Sea Oats · September 2010

My mom is really upset about it, she's going to go talk to my counselor, or whoever she can about it tomorrow.

CORY · September 2010

Sea Oats wrote:

My mom is really upset about it, she's going to go talk to my counselor, or whoever she can about it tomorrow.

Hope they can figure things out and so you wouldn't have to do those online classes.

Sea Oats · September 2010

tiffer wrote:

Sea Oats wrote:

My mom is really upset about it, she's going to go talk to my counselor, or whoever she can about it tomorrow.

 Hope they can figure things out and so you wouldn't have to do those online classes.

You and me both, tiff. ;_; I just want to graduate with my class, is that too much to ask?

RoyalRaccoon · September 2010

Sea Oats wrote:

I don't want to leave my school, I love it. :[ Which is why I switched back in the first place. And I'm not taking any college courses this year.. I decided to make my senior year easy.

Oh, I see. I took online classes as meaning college classes. That's really interesting though. I've never heard of a high school that gave online classes.

Sea Oats · September 2010

PrinceSushi wrote:

Sea Oats wrote:

I don't want to leave my school, I love it. :[ Which is why I switched back in the first place. And I'm not taking any college courses this year.. I decided to make my senior year easy.

 Oh, I see. I took online classes as meaning college classes. That's really interesting though. I've never heard of a high school that gave online classes.

It's what they do for kids that get sick or have to leave school for some reason or another. But, I got called back to my counselor today and was given just WONDERFUL news. Turns out, she can't help me out on any of the credits, and I can't get the online courses because I don't have any 'cushion' credits. What this means (which is complete bull, if you ask me) is that, because I don't have the credits for those 4 classes, I have to have a fourth class every day so that I can graduate. Instead of just giving me the online courses, they're taking my senior release away. I also found out today that the class under us only needs 24 credits to graduate, while we need 28, which I also think is complete bull. Because if that were the case for us, I wouldn't have to worry about any of this. I'm really, really pissed.

CORY · September 2010

DD: That's not fair! You wont be able to graduate with your class ?

Sea Oats · September 2010

tiffer wrote:

DD: That's not fair! You wont be able to graduate with your class ?

I will, I just have to stay all day instead of leaving at 12:30. Which I still don't think is right, because I shouldn't be penalized for this in the first place.

CORY · September 2010

Sea Oats wrote:

tiffer wrote:

DD: That's not fair! You wont be able to graduate with your class ?

 I will, I just have to stay all day instead of leaving at 12:30. Which I still don't think is right, because I shouldn't be penalized for this in the first place.

:/ I dont think you should be either. D;

Cybergirl · September 2010

Thats horrible! Im so sorry that happened to you Wikkid

Sea Oats · September 2010

I'm calling our superintendent first thing tomorrow morning to see if I can get a meeting of some sort set up to appeal it. My counselor did all she could to help, now it's up to me. It's just a bother, really. ;-;

Alabama · September 2010

I was going to suggest talking to the principal and working your way up the chain of command. There should be something set up for students, who through no fault of their own don't get the credits they need to graduate. And if not, then they need something set up. What do they do for students who transfer in from another state or school system? I went through the same thing, only opposite. I was just one credit short to graduate as a Junior and I had to go all the way to the school board to get a ruling made that I could graduate a year early as long as I completed the one subject I needed through a college mail program (back before there was online). Write down what you want to say and look it over right before you make the call and keep it with you in case you have to leave a message and they call you back, both to keep your points in mind and to also not let your emotions get control when you talk to the super or anyone else. Remain professional and courteous, don't whine, cry or yell, or say it isn't fair, whatever you do. Ask for his/their help, ask what they would do in your situation. Explain what you plan to do with the rest of that day.. Maybe taking some college classes or getting a job to help pay for college after you graduate. Don't look at them as the person able to set up a meeting, but as a potential ally for your fight. I'll caution though, most times, senior release are for those students who have all their credits, so be willing to compromise and stay a little later during school if the ultimate goal is to get out of school early. Maybe you could "test" out of the subjects and just have tutor to brush you up on things. It may not be fair, but they have their own guidelines they have to follow as well. Good luck

Sea Oats · September 2010

Alabama wrote:

I'll caution though, most times, senior release are for those students who have all their credits, so be willing to compromise and stay a little later during school if the ultimate goal is to get out of school early. Maybe you could "test" out of the subjects and just have tutor to brush you up on things. It may not be fair, but they have their own guidelines they have to follow as well.

This is my argument though: Even when I went to get my SENIOR schedule set up, they didn't tell me about all this. If they had, I would have my online classes and all would be well. The issue at hand now is that it's too late to sign up for those online classes, because it had to be done by the 24th of August, and we went to the school to get my schedule set up on the 23rd. So again, that's the fault of the school, and in my opinion I should be able to keep my senior release and be able to sign up for the spring online classes. But because THEY didn't catch it in time, I might not get to. THAT is what I have an issue with.

RoyalRaccoon · September 2010

Sea Oats wrote:

Alabama wrote:

I'll caution though, most times, senior release are for those students who have all their credits, so be willing to compromise and stay a little later during school if the ultimate goal is to get out of school early. Maybe you could "test" out of the subjects and just have tutor to brush you up on things. It may not be fair, but they have their own guidelines they have to follow as well.

 This is my argument though: Even when I went to get my SENIOR schedule set up, they didn't tell me about all this. If they had, I would have my online classes and all would be well. The issue at hand now is that it's too late to sign up for those online classes, because it had to be done by the 24th of August, and we went to the school to get my schedule set up on the 23rd. So again, that's the fault of the school, and in my opinion I should be able to keep my senior release and be able to sign up for the spring online classes. But because THEY didn't catch it in time, I might not get to. THAT is what I have an issue with.

Yeah, it's unfortunate that it was accidentally over looked, and now you have to go through this, but pointing fingers will more than likely not help your situation. The school is going to see it as an unfortunate accident, and they'll give you what they can in order to make sure you graduate, but technically speaking they don't have to give you anymore than that if the compromise isn't ideal to what you want. In the end you need to ask yourself what is more important, getting senior release, or graduating on time, because it sounds like there is a good chance you won't be allowed to receive both. Honestly, if you go complaining that you aren't getting a senior release, after they have made a compromise that allows you to graduate on time, there is a big chance they are going to feel you're just trying to take advantage of the situation. You have said "might not get to" so if there is still a chance you could take the online courses, then do ask them once more, but if they say no, then the best solution would be to tell them "Hey, I just want to graduate on time, so please help me out." and accept whatever they can give you, because they could always say there is nothing they can do other than hold you back.

Alabama · September 2010

I completely understand and agree you should have been told then, and it's not your fault. But what's done is done, the past can't be changed, so you have to work on how to fix it. Once someone spills the milk, saying the milk shouldn't have been spilt won't make it magically go back in the cup. They will have requirements that not even the super can change, it may be something you have to go to the school board about, in which case, you need the Super on your side. So you can't go to the super complaining about their employees' screw ups and demanding it go on as if no one messed up, it will put them on the defensive and less likely to see your side of things. If a requirement is set by the school board that a student needs to know the letters A to Z to graduate, that's what has to happen. In public school they get the credit in one semester of Alphabets class because they finish the class and learn A to Z in a compressed time frame, one semester. In the charter school, the Alphabet class is spread out throughout the year, meaning the students learn A through M in the first semester and N through Z the second semester. So how does the student make up or prove that they learned N through Z, that they deserve the full credit for the Alphabet class, when they didn't attend the second semester? My advice is that you need to go to them with the idea in mind how to get your credits, so you can get senior release. He can't change the fact that you do not have the credits, regardless of when it was discovered. You have to explain to him why your senior release is so important to you and why it's important that you keep your senior release. Hanging out with friends isn't going to be a good enough reason for him to try and help you. It sounds like your counselor is doing all they know, or are allowed to, to get you the rest of the credits by having you take the classes you need through the normal school day. That isn't what you want. You will still have to get the credits, so you have to think how you can do that without losing senior release. The Super may not be the one that's able to do that, or he may be able to set up that you test out of the classes you need, meaning you get the credit for them. If he can't do that, you may have to go to the school board to get an exception to needing those credits, testing out of the classes or taking an equivalent online class through a college, in which case, the Super might be a good ally to have.

Sea Oats · September 2010

It's not that I refuse to give up my senior release, but I do want to know that I have done everything in my power to try to keep it. I'm not just going to not take the classes and not graduate on time, if that is what it comes down to, I'll take them in a full school day. But I don't want to just settle for that if more can be done, and that's all I'm trying to do. It just makes no sense to me that I can't get the online courses just because I have no 'cushion' credits. Because if it weren't for their mix up, I would have plenty. MORE than enough. And truthfully, just knowing the people I go to school with, there is NO WAY in HELL that everyone that graduates every year has 28 -passing- credits, and even my counselor admitted to that. I was talking to my roommate about this, and a girl in one of her classes switched from an IB program at another school, and they changed some class names around and gave her credit for the things she did there, even though they were completely different classes. If they can do that for her, I feel I deserve the same thing, and I'm going to try everything I know to do before I just settle for the first thing they decided they could give me.

Sea Oats · September 2010

And I'm not in senior release to hang out with friends, I work 30 hours a week, because I have to help my mom with money so we can live. With getting out of school at 12:45 instead of 2:15, I can get to work as early as 2, instead of 4. Meaning I can also get off earlier, and not have to work till 11, and still get the hours I need a week. It's not like I want to get out so I can go home and nap or whatever. I work, and I work hard. And I just feel like I'm kind of being walked all over.

Alabama · September 2010

And that's what I was trying to get at.. Explain to the Super why you need senior release and he'll be more willing to help you because you aren't just hanging out with friends. I'm sorry, I was trying to give advice on how to approach the Super, not that you shouldn't, but that he also may not be able to make the changes you need/want, so if you want it badly enough, you may have to go to the school board and you want him on your side if that happens. I'll just bow out now as it seems you may feel I'm being confrontational and I'm not, just trying to help you. Good luck and I hope you get what you want.

Sea Oats · September 2010

Alabama wrote:

And that's what I was trying to get at.. Explain to the Super why you need senior release and he'll be more willing to help you because you aren't just hanging out with friends. I'm sorry, I was trying to give advice on how to approach the Super, not that you shouldn't, but that he also may not be able to make the changes you need/want, so if you want it badly enough, you may have to go to the school board and you want him on your side if that happens. I'll just bow out now as it seems you may feel I'm being confrontational and I'm not, just trying to help you. Good luck and I hope you get what you want.

No, I know you are. And I'm all for any advice that anyone can give me. I'm in the process of talking to our dean of students right now, so that hopefully she can direct me to whoever I need to talk to about this. It's just hard to find people willing to help when it's easier for them to just tell me 'well you can get a fourth class..'

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