<p>I came across an interesting situation while discussing next year's course selection with my DS who is a high school sophomore. Our town's school committee has a website that posts the district's educational policies online. The policy detailing our high school's graduation requirements states that all students must complete three years of history/social science prior to graduating, of which two courses must be world history and one course must be US history. The high school's student handbook has the same history requirement as the school committee's "official" policy. However, DS's entire class is being told they must take two years of US history (and one year of world history) to satisfy the graduation requirement. The high school administrators point to their high school website as detailing the graduation requirements, which obviously differ from the school committee's policy.
Has anyone ever encountered this situation before? I hate to think the high school principal is unilaterally determining graduation requirements in our town without a review process by the school committee and superintendent's office (who, by the way, was completely unaware of this discrepancy prior to this past Friday.) I'm wondering if there are any legal issues as well, since kids entered high school with certain graduation requirements and now those requirements could be changed mid-way through their high school years. Your thoughts?</p>
<p>An FYI…I entered COLLEGE with a certain course of study and requirements for graduation. This changed during my JUNIOR year, and if was required to fulfill the NEW requirements to get my degree.</p>
<p>In out state, the HS graduation requirements changed a few years ago. Anyone who was a freshman or sophomore was REQUIRED to fulfill the new requirements to graduate. </p>
<p>What “legal issues” are you suggesting?</p>
<p>Have you asked the school administration. Why there is a difference? Sometimes the websites are up not updated properly. Sometimes the school handbooks are out of date.</p>
<p>Is there some issue with your sophomore satisfying the requirements?</p>
<p>Thumper…no change to our state’s requirements since way before my DS entered high school. The high school handbook is reviewed and approved by the school committee each year, so I wouldn’t expect that to be out of date. The handbook states that it is in compliance with the school committee’s graduation requirements, which it is.
I’m waiting to hear from the high school administration as to why their requirements (posted only on the high school website) are different, and the legal issue I am suggesting is regarding “due process” to change the graduation requirements. I have scoured the school committee’s minutes from the past three years and saw no discussion about changing graduation requirements. It appears to have been done without the committee’s knowledge and I would think they have some legally required oversight of this sort of thing.
My DS is running into scheduling conflicts and the high school administration is saying he has to fulfill the requirements posted on their website for US history, while he has already fulfilled that requirement according to the school committee’s (and handbook’s) policy.</p>
<p>Our high school has changed graduation requirements several times while my daughter has been attending. These new policies were set either by the district school board or by state law. All high schools in our district have the same graduation requirements; I don’t think there is any way one principal could set different ones. And every time a change was made, it was always made for the entering class. It’s not fair to impose requirements retroactively on students who already made a high school plan to fill a different set of requirements and to whom certain courses may not have been available at an appropriate time. </p>
<p>That said, your requirement doesn’t sound too onerous. Our college-bound kids are required to take 4 years of social science: US history, US gov, and two years of world history–for which one year of geography could be substituted. </p>
<p>Im surprised the PTA isnt keeping the parents apprised of changes even if the principaldoesnt seem to be.
These are the sort of instances that have parents and teachers testifying at school board/committee meetings.
I agree it isnt onerous, but what does the counselor say?</p>
<p>@thumper1 - I’m surprised to hear you were forced to meet requirements that changed while you were a student. Every school I’ve dealt with requires students to meet the graduation requirements that were in force when they began their course of study. Changes are made with incoming classes. Of course, if you’re a perpetual student that may change, but I know at D’s school, as well as where H is a prof, your academic record includes the specific handbook containing the graduation requirements applicable to you.</p>
<p>That said, the problem stated here is different. The graduation requirements outlined by the district and school committee have not changed. The individual high school is choosing to interpret them differently. If that is the case, and the high school refuses to graduate a student who has met the requirements of the school district, then there could be legal consequences. If the graduation requirements HAVE changed, then the district/school committee is not meeting their legal responsibility to notify their constituents. </p>
<p>The differing policies need to be presented at a public school committee hearing to obtain clarification of the requirements and get all schools and sources of school information in agreement BEFORE lawsuits occur.</p>
<p>I’m curious what the superintendent’s reaction was when hearing of the discrepancy. I’m glad you’ve brought it to everyone’s attention and I’m also curious what the school administration’s response will be. </p>
<p>My youngest D graduated from HS last year but I know that this year her HS was requiring students to take a civics class as seniors and I’m not sure if that aligns with the school district’s graduation requirements (which can differ from the state requirements). The district graduation requirement is that students earn 2.5 history/social studies credits but I don’t believe they are listed. Okay, I just looked it up and it does list .5 credit of civics beginning with the class of 2016 and they upped the graduation requirement to 3 credits. I just noticed that Government isn’t listed as one of the classes that counts for the credit so I assume that eliminates the AP Gov classes :(. </p>
<p>I just looked at the high school requirements and they do differ from the district graduation requirements. They state students need three years of social studies credits to graduated now but the district’s requirements state that the 3 credit requirement begins with the class of 2016. </p>
<p>I suggest you look at your district’s policies to find out if a school prinicipal can set higher/more specific graduation requirements than the district’s requirements. It’s possible my district gives that authority to principals but I think that would be problematic if one principal sets lower requirements than the principal at another high school.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>If your state requires 2 world history courses and 1 US history course to receive a high school diploma, I’d be worried about what happens to those who follow the principal’s requirement of 2 US history and 1 world history. I’d print the state ed requirements, take them to the next school board meeting, and ask them to clarify the policy. I don’t know how a district could legally require more than the state, but I can’t imagine they can require less.</p>
<p>Edited for spelling…</p>
<p>I honestly think I’m the first parent in our town to notice the discrepancy. Most kids just take the standard courses year after year and I doubt anyone looks at the school committee’s official policies. Folks just figure the high school administrators know what they are doing, but obviously someone along the way forgot to dot the i’s and cross the t’s. It’s not a huge district, just one high school in town.
The superintendent didn’t show much of a reaction when I told him about the discrepancy, but he is well-known to be very cool and composed when speaking with parents. I’m sure once I left his office he was on the phone to the high school principal right away. The school committee’s policies (everyone one of which I have now read in detail) state that one of the principal’s job requirements is to carry out the policies as adopted by the school committee. I’ll be at the next school committee meeting at the end of the month. Or the administration might just fix my DS’s scheduling problem to shut me up.</p>
<p>Austin…the state requirement isn’t specific regarding world history vs. US history. The state just requires three years of a history/social science, so both the school committee’s policy or the principal’s requirement would satisfy it.</p>
<p>OP -</p>
<p>How many different history classes are actually offered at this high school? If three are required to graduate, and only US Hist 1, US Hist 2, and World Hist are available, then that would be what everyone would end up taking. If one or more other History classes are on offer, then when you do go into your eventual meeting(s) with whoever it is you will need to speak with to get the flexibility that you think you need for your child’s schedule, be ready ask specifically why that/those Not-US-or-World-Hist can’t be used for the graduation requirement in situations such as your child’s.</p>
<p>I’m still not sure I see any “legal” implications here.</p>
<p>Could it be 1 yr US history, 1 yr World history, + 1 yr US government/history (social science/Constitution test)? </p>
<p>Write a letter to the school requesting a “graduation audit.” Then work from there. If push comes to shove can you write a letter requesting an exception to the grad reqs? </p>
<p>Happymom & dyiu…The high school offers world history, US history, western civilization, European history, American gov’t, psychology, and economics that all fall under the history/social sciences department. So there are many options. Unfortunately, the principal, guidance counselor, and curriculum coordinator will not budge from “their” requirement of world history in freshman year, US history I in sophomore year, and US history II in junior year. I was told there would be no exceptions to this (prior to finding out about the school committee’s policy.) The high school administration has not been flexible in any way…yet. </p>
<p>Is there some issue for your kiddo and this requirement? I’m not sure I understand why this is a concern. </p>
<p>Ask the district’s lawyer.</p>
<p>Well if they only cover half of US history in US history I, I’m with your school that students should take both years. That said, there’s no reason you can’t fit all of US history into a one year course. (Hint: it’s called AP US history.)</p>
<p>If your child is a sophomore, who started high school in 2012, it seems that your state has changed the graduation requirement for students entering high school 2-12-2013 school year.
the Social studies requirement is now:</p>
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<p>Seems as your high school is correctly advising this cohort. when in doubt, go to the state regs.</p>
<p>And YES. The state is allowed to change the high school graduation requirements after a student starts 9th grade, and require completion of those requirements for graduation. There are no legal issues with regard to these changes. Your student has plenty of time to fulfill this requirement for HS graduation.</p>
<p>Sybbie…I’m not in Texas. I did check the state regulations and my state does not dictate which history/social sciences are required for graduation, the only requirement is three years. There have been no changes to the state requirements at all since my child started high school. My kid’s concern was simply that he wanted to take his third year of history as a senior instead of as a junior because of a scheduling conflict, but the school wouldn’t allow it. I then checked into the district requirements and noticed the discrepancy between the school committee requirements and what the high school administration requires. Both are in line with state requirements, but my issue is the discrepancy within the town itself.</p>