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East High student asks Rockford SD 205 to adopt one-withdrawal policy for Running Start program
Summary
Michael Santos Antonio, a Running Start student from East High School, asked the board to consider a one-withdrawal safety net so district-covered tuition would include replacing credits lost to a first withdrawal or failure in the dual-enrollment program.
Michael Santos Antonio, a junior at East High School and a Running Start participant at Rock Valley College, asked the Rockford Public Schools Board of Education to adopt a "one withdrawal" policy for students in the district's Running Start/dual-enrollment program.
Michael told the board that the Running Start program requires students to meet both high-school and college-course requirements, leaving little margin for error. "If we withdraw, then that's just, like, we either have to go drop out of the program, pay for a summer course to make up the credits that we lost," he said, describing the financial and academic consequences. He asked the district to cover the cost of making up credits after a single withdrawal, noting that RPS currently covers student tuition for the Running Start program.
Superintendent Dr. Jared thanked Michael for sharing his experience and said district staff would review the request. "We will certainly make sure that we review and make sure that we are studying those withdrawal policies as well as the full cost of tuition issues that you raised," Dr. Jared said.
Michael also asked whether funding arrangements for Running Start differ across districts; he said some costs are not fully covered by other districts and asked the board to study funding differences. The superintendent acknowledged the issues and committed to reviewing withdrawal policies and tuition cost structures.
The board heard the student during the superintendent's report; no immediate policy change was adopted during the meeting. Staff follow-up was requested.
