This happened to my son last year, but it was Math Analysis ( he had already fulfilled his math credit that year with Trig - we have 8 classes per year, 4 per semester). They would not let him drop the class even though he has a chronic illness that his GI doctor wrote a specific letter saying that the stress was causing him to have episodes. The only accommodation they made for him was extra time on the tests to lessen the stress on him. He ended up getting a B (with the help on an expensive tutor), but it was so stressful for him and really affected his health. They were so happy to give him the 504 because they then applied for him to get extra time on all standardized tests. This gave him more time on the AP/SAT tests and a stop the clock that allowed him to take restroom breaks if needed. Their goal was better scores on the tests to improve the school’s standing. It has been my experience that the administration only cares about their numbers not your child. Two AP sciences is too much for most bright kids and the counselor should not have put her in that schedule. Sounds like they needed numbers for the class to make.
Georgia. The AP said there is nothing they could do about it because it would require them to allow others to also drop AP classes. My daughter has also talked face to face with the AP too, and she said she will try to do everything in her power to tweak her schedule. However, it will not be right away,
That is not a reasonable answer. You need to advocate for you D and her mental health even if it means talking to a lawyer. If others drop AP Physics because the teacher is being ridiculously demanding then the school needs to rethink that class.
Every school is different but my D started school this week and had quizzes related to AP Chem and AP Lit on the 2nd day of school, because they had a sizable amount of work to do over the summer. D had two books to read for Lit, including an 800+ page book, Anna Karenina. AP Chem had 3 chapters of work. And D had homework for MV Calc. So for some, the first few days can be very stressful.
@hoalai This seems crazy and I have to wonder why the administration is taking such a hard stance. Our district allows for dropping of classes during the first ten days of the semester, including AP’s. That being said, AP physics is tough. My S, who is a great student, took that class and met his match. Because I saw what pressure and difficulty he had with that class I feel for you. In hindsight, he said he should have never taken it, especially in junior year when the colleges are scrutinizing how his grades were for the admissions process. Live and learn for him. But, your daughter should be allowed to get out. The more time that goes by the harder it will be. I realize the school doesn’t want to be setting a precedent with letting her drop down but they need to rethink this policy in her case. Agree with those above. Unfortunately a lawyer may be your only option. Schools never like to litigate if they don’t have to. Good luck to you.
“Not right away” is unacceptable. Every day they hesitate puts your daughter one day further behind in whatever class she picks up.
And why can’t kids drop AP classes? College kids have a window to drop/add, why not kids taking a class for hig collegecredit?
Your daughter’s mental health is suffering while they stall.
OP, I messaged you about Georgia Virtual. http://gavirtualschool.org.
No more phone calls, no more meetings.
Now it is time to document and keep a running anecdotal of all that that has transpired between all parties concerning this issue. this way you have all your documentation when it comes time to escalate the issue (to the district superintendency, your city or state board of education)
Write a letter to the principal starting out,
this is in follow-up to the meeting my husband,_______ and my d,______ had with _______ regarding her schedule
(let him/her know that you are seeking clarification as you sum up what happened at the meeting).
talk about how this issue has been going on for _______, with no resolution.
name the dates, times and who your daughter met with.
If you have a copy of the AP contract, refer to the contract, specifically that it needed to be signed by both the parent and child .
Look up the school hand book and policy on AP classes to see if what they are doing to you/your child is consistent with the policy
restate what is going on with your child and why she needs the change. restate your willingness to work with the school to come up with a solution that is beneficial to both parties.
I think you should read the [GA Homeschool regs](https://www.ghea.org/pages/resources/stateLaw.php). If it was my daughter, I’d pull her out of school immediately. You have to submit an Intent to Homeschool letter, but you can just keep her home and either deliver it in person on Monday or send it through the mail. Make them sign for it.
You can find an online program and/or get books from the library or Amazon for her. They can’t enforce a contract if she’s no longer attending school, so I’d sever ties with the school.
I can totally see a school sticking to their guns over not allowing drops in AP classes. If they start off the year with 25 students in AP and 25 students in honors, then 15 (or 10 or 5) want to drop from AP to honors by the second week, it’s not sustainable. Teachers won’t be happy if their class sizes are twice or three times as big as the AP classes. Parents and students won’t be either.
Did a parent sign the contract? Did a parent sign off on the course selection?
My kids’ school had a ‘no change’ policy for AP courses. You signed up for them in April and were ‘required’ to complete them AND take the test (that’s because the state paid for them). I thought they really were committed, but found out the school did allow changes. The official rule was no changes.
I am so sorry you are going through this. Me kid’s high school required parental signoff for all kids under age 18. I think that is a good idea. I don’t know if kids get caught up in the excitement and bragging rights for taking a boatload of hard classes but I have always been a believer in s slow and steady progression approach to learning and 4ap classes is a boatload of daily work. I hope you find a way to help her extricate herself. A good lesson when she signs up for her freshman fall at college.
I’m so sorry to hear about your D’s struggles, OP! I am shocked to hear about AP contracts, I feel so naive but very thankful there are no such contracts at our school.
My D signed up for 4 APs plus an AICE class and started last week. I had been trying to talk her down all summer, but she was being stubborn about being able to handle it all. After the first week she came to me and asked to drop down a class. She ended up not having enough hours in the weekend to finish all of her homework after the first week! I can’t imagine the stress & pressure for a kid that is ‘locked in’ to a class by a contract. I hope all works out well for her.
I agree with @austinmshauri. Let her home school. Failing classes will scuttle her GPA. My son took AP Physics. Was a complete waste of time. Counted for nothing in college for engineering majors. Could she do running start instead?
@NEPatsGirl Caring for and tutoring younger siblings is an EC. A very important one.
Not every student does well with online classes. My daughter tried it one semester and it was a disaster. I would keep pushing the school and take it to the highest level you can. I understand the school’s desire to not allow students to drop from AP courses - it helps them plan and forces the kids to take their course selections seriously. However, refusing to make any exceptions, particularly where there is a health concern, is foolish. Does your daughter have an anxiety diagnosis? If she had a physical illness, I suspect the school would accommodate her wish to drop. A mental illness should be treated no differently.
Have you taken your daughter to the doctor /psychologist/psychiatrist and gotten a diagnosis for anxiety?
If yes, have you presented the diagnosis to the school?
What has the healthcare provider recommended?
Have you requested a 504 that includes extended time for exams and assignments?
If yes, has the school given her an accommodation?
Yes, your daughter has a numbers of stressors going on between balancing her school work/ a more rigorous workload, her responsibilities at home and a limited amount of time for her self and to just be a kid.
You just cannot simply say that your kid is stressing out, you must present a diagnosis and an accommodation?
From the first post>>
“However, I feel that contract is not valid, and I did not know that my daughter was serious in taking 4 Aps. I also placed some big responsibilities such as babysitting my other 2 younger daughters and making sure they understand their homework as well because she’s the older sister and needs to look out for them.”
I can't get away from this part. It bears reiterating.
Again, I have to sign off on my son’s class schedule for each year. Are there really high schools that don’t require this?
I never had to sign anything related to scheduling for my kids when they were in high school, at any time… so it certainly isn’t a uniform requirement. That being said, schedules tended to be very fluid for the first couple of weeks of school, so dropping or changing courses in that time frame would not have been an issue, assuming available space in whatever class the student wanted to move to.
My kids attended public high schools which did not offer any AP STEM courses. (No AP Calc, Stats, or sciences). So all of their APs were humanities/social studies. (English, APUSH, econ, psych, etc.). My impression was that there were more kids trying to get into the AP courses than spaces available, so I doubt that movement early in the year would have had much impact on enrollment overall-- plenty of willing kids to fill any open spots.
OK, it’s been a few days. OP, can you update?