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High-school class officers ask board to exclude nurse-directed absences, college visits from exam-exemption counts
Summary
Yellow Springs High School junior-class president Will Zerg told the board that counting nurse-directed exclusions and college-visit days against exam-exemption eligibility pressures students to attend while sick and proposed exempting those days from the exemption calculation.
Will Zerg, president of the Yellow Springs High School junior class, told the board on March 11 that the district's attendance policy governing exam exemptions has unintended consequences for students.
"College tutor days and days where the school nurse determines a student cannot remain at school should not count against exam exemptions," Zerg said, describing cases in which students lost eligibility after being sent home by the nurse or missing school for college visits. He said the current practice can pressure sick students to attend and can penalize students for circumstances beyond their control.
Zerg presented the change as a proposal for administrative review; he was joined by junior-class officers Gabrielle Kibwick (vice president) and Tommy Rios (treasurer). Board members thanked the students for bringing the proposal and said administrators would consider how to treat nurse-directed exclusions and authorized college-visit days within the attendance policy framework.
The board did not take immediate action; the transcript records the student presentation and discussion but no vote or formal policy change at the meeting.
