Senior asks board to allow paid apprenticeship; family and trustees seek compromise

A New Oxford senior, Ava Garment, told the board she had been offered a paid apprenticeship at Kenworthy Funeral Home and asked trustees to "follow your own policy and act in my best interest" by allowing her to replace an elective with the opportunity.

Garment described the apprenticeship as vital to her planned mortuary science career and said she was not asking for extra work or leniency in graduation requirements but for the chance to pursue an occupational learning opportunity. Her father (Devin Garman) said administrators had repeatedly declined the family's requests, arguing that the district's scheduling policy permits changes for "unique reasons" tied to postsecondary goals and asked why the case had not been approved.

Administrators and trustees exchanged questions about logistics: whether the student could attend Kenworthy in the mornings without missing required lab sessions, how many days per week would be feasible, whether the internship could be extended beyond a short window and whether privacy concerns for a minor should be accounted for. The family said they had proposed compromise schedules (e.g., attending Kenworthy Monday, Wednesday, Friday and attending labs when necessary) and that Kenworthy had hired the student and was willing to provide an extended internship.

District staff said the course involved labs that cannot be made up if missed and indicated the administration had offered a limited number of days as a compromise; the board scheduled an executive session after the public meeting to discuss student matters and invited the family to a private conversation to resolve details.

What happens next: the board moved the matter into executive session to consider personnel and student issues. Trustees asked staff to preserve student privacy during any private discussions and to explore schedule options consistent with course requirements.