We had to withdraw or daughter from high school in her last semester as she has entered an intense counseling program. While we (and, we think, she) agree this was an absolutely critical step to take, it is, of course, a very disruptive step to take. Though her grades are pretty good (about 3.4 with a lot of rigor) and she’s been accepted to several colleges, she will
be unable to graduate on time, this semester. In fact, we have withdrawn her from her high school.
My question is: does anyone have ideas on how she can complete her high school education and get back on track to go to college. We don’t want this whole process to be sabotaged while she is hopefully getting well. She lacks only two classes.
The high school we just withdrew her from said the only way she can get a diploma from there is to reenroll in the fall and take the classes then because they don’t offer summer enrollment. That’s an option, but not a very palatable one.
Anyway, we’re completely lost on this and would really appreciate any advice.
Our county office of education offers an alternative pathway for students to earn their high school diploma. In addition, they offer online classes through a third party provider that provides individualized start times.
Perhaps reaching out to your county office might be a starting point. However, I wouldn’t put a timeline in her recovery. There’s lots of time.
I can’t answer your questions, but I do want to say that I admire you and your daughter for putting her health before anything else, as it should be. I hope she fully heals and can continue with her life in the way she desires.
Thank you. Yes, we’re not in any hurry and in fact I should have mentioned that my goal is to just have the options there for her when she’s back. Regardless of her current situation, I’m not sure she’s quite ready for college now anyway.
Thank you. It was tough, very tough. We should have done this a long time ago. But we (I, I’ll admit) thought maybe things would turn around. And I really believe they will now. Thanks,
Does the district have any online options? Maybe an online charter school?
I would also see if any college will defer her enrollment under the circumstances. Give her a year to make-up the work and make sure she’s ready before attending?
You need to go and talk to the high school…and you may need to re-enroll her there to get some help.
Since she hasn’t yet graduated, gwt her back on the school rolls. Request a meeting with the special education administrator or school principal. You want to know what to do to get a health plan for your kiddo, and what accommodations they can or will make for her, given her situation.
In terms of completing the two courses…some schools will allow online approved courses. Some will allow dual enrollment at a local community college. Some have an after school alternative HS program. Depending on your daughter’s situation, they might offer home instruction.
But she has to be an enrolled student to get these benefits. I’m sure you had a reason for withdrawing her…but it might be in her better interest in the long term to reconsider this.
How was she withdrawn? Is there a way that you could turn that into a withdrawl to exercise your option to homeschool? And then it would be up to you as the main teacher to decide when she is ready to graduate. The requirements vary widely by state, so it’s hard to know what the option is for you. (Some state require no documentation, others require much more)
Someone also mentioned online schools. If she only needs to classes, you can check into one of the online options, such as BYU, which is accredited. She could do the classes at her own pace when she is ready. You can also see if there’s a free eschool option for your state, although it’s unlikely they will allow you to enroll at this time and may direct you to wait until the fall.
I am confident that you have not closed the door completely on her entering college in the fall, though it may not be an easy path. I wish you the best through what I can only imagine is a challenging time.
Well, our concern was that she would fail both classes because she will almost certainly not be back this semester. Actually it is certain and, even if she could, she would miss the bulk of the semester.
But your point is good and it’s something I’ve thought about in retrospect. I have to say, the counselors were very compassionate, but didn’t really help with strategy or decision.
We’re not setting a timeframe. Fall would be great but unlikely. But we also don’t want her coming back to tons of uncertainty. We’d like to be able to outline a path to first get the diploma, then figure out next steps. This happened at a really crucial time in her development - in all teens’ development - the bridge between being a kid and being a semi-autonomous adult. We do want her to go to college and get a good education, but that’s not goal number one right now.
Did you withdraw your child from public school or private school?
If she was withdrawn from public school check to see about her right to return. In addition, school district should offer some type of home instruction for students who cannot attend school due to illness. There are also therapeutic programs through the department of ed, where your child can go to school while receiving treatment.
Since she is in senior year, you need to find out what credits does she actually need to graduate. don’t worry about AP courses, electives or any extras, just make sure that she has fulfilled the testing/academic requirements to get her diploma.
Find out if your school district/department of Ed has or can refer you to a CARES (Comprehensive Adolescent Rehabilitation and Education Service ) program
Could she dual enroll and attend a community college for the final 2 classes, plus others that she’s interested in? The school district may pay for that. She can do BYU online, as suggest above, or Florida Virtual school (there is tuition for OOS but it’s not bad). There is K-12 online
What state are you in? Homeschool regulations differ. In NYS, for instance, it doesn’t matter how you withdraw your child. You have the right to homeschool. Graduation requirements for homeschooled kids can differ from what’s required of public school students, so you might not have to complete the other 2 courses. We did 4 years of foreign language, but public schools here only require 2 or 3, and homeschoolers aren’t required to do any. Check your state laws so you know your options.
But the student MUST be enrolled in the school for the school to pay for this. This parent says they withdrew the kid from the school.
I really do think that the parent needs to sit down with the High School…and come up with a plan for,this student to graduate once she is healthy enough to complete her graduation requirements. Really, the school district should be able to help with this…if she is an enrolled student.
Thanks for all these thoughtful replies. Great suggestions.
Like I said, the high school was compassionate, but not really a fountain of information. We basically directed everything.
Based on all the comments, here’s more information: She was at a public school. She was in a dual enrollment program at a local university. We withdrew her from there as well as we were at the deadline between receiving a W or WF. In fact, the two classes she was taking at the university were the two she needed to graduate, not the two electives she was taking at the high school. We were trying to avoid the double whammy of two Fs on high school transcript and two WFs to start her college transcript.
The reason we thought we needed to withdraw her from the high school is that she would receive two Fs in the electives, which would pull her GPA down (how much, we’re not sure. We’re calculating now). We’re trying to minimize the impact this is having on her while she’s away.
Fuller disclosure: she’s at a wilderness treatment program. She went (mostly) willingly, no armed escorts, etc. She was down a bad path and probably wasn’t going to graduate on time anyway, barring a very major and quick moment of clarity. That’s a whole different subject but I bring it up because she has no access to computers where she is now so online is out of the questions - for now. This summer perhaps.
Look, ultimately this is her own doing. We’re not helicopter parents trying to sort her life out for her. Right now, hopefully she’s starting the process of sorting this stuff out. But we want to make sure she can work on that and not come back to more uncertainty than necessary.
I really appreciate all thoughts and comments and am happy I posted here. We’re pretty lost and worried. This was not in any way an easy decision. These are not the kind of things we wanted to be helping her with right now! We’d much rather be stressing about college choices and tuition!
I really think she and/or you should talk to the treatment program folks. Surely your kiddo isn’t the first (or last) who needs to figure out HS courses, graduation or related issues. Perhaps they can help you navigate this process.
At the same time, I think you need to talk to the right person in your school district to discuss what they can do to help when the time comes.
I understand why you withdrew…you didn’t want the F or WF on her transcript. But really…public schools have an obligation to help your kid in this situation. You just need to talk to the right person.
I wish you peace as you go through this challenging time. I have a few friends with children who did a wilderness program for a variety of reasons. The kids are back home and doing well. (a little younger than yours / now juniors in HS) I agree with Thumper - talk to the program staff as they have seen these questions before. Hopefully they can guide you. What is most important right now is that your child gets the help they need so they can come back home (or go to college, etc) Take care of yourself, too.
If she want a high school diploma when she comes back, wait until she is really better, enroll her as home school dual credit student at the local university or online at community college in your state, fulfill her graduate requirement, then take the credits to her high school, they will grant her diploma, or you could create homeschool diploma based on earned credits. For example do homeschool dual credit in the fall with her two classes and another 1 or 2 depending on how she is doing. Then in December take her credits and ask for December graduation. She would be able to get a diploma, graduate, and apply to continue college in the spring. OR talk to your district or neighboring small distric close by about credit recovery online courses or CBE that would be applied to her missing courses.
If your district is large they should have a counseling staff to help you navigate this. Not the school counselor who does scheduling, but the student assistance counselor. If they cannot help you find a small district close by that allows transfers and talk to them, they may have more flexibility as to when she can be granted a diploma.
The wilderness facility team might have great resources availed as time goes on.
She will need time to recover. Don’t worry if she just works. Just because she doesn’t get a high school diploma this year does not mean that she will never be successful. Her success will always be measured differently now. Being healthy from 18-25 and growing into adulthood with good habits might be her best challenge and education. You can tackle college later.
You might also consider contacting the admissions office at her preferred college(s) she is admitted to. They may have options and you can discuss the possibility of deferring her start for a semester or a year.