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Board approves academic-contract changes and grading policy updates after public concern about attendance impacts
Summary
After public commenters urged compassion for students with attendance and mental-health barriers, the board debated policy changes that adjust academic contracts and grading rules; staff emphasized supports for students and the board passed the academic-contract-related policy components unanimously.
Public commenters raised concerns that the academic-contract language and related grading rules would penalize students who miss school for reasons outside their control, including mental-health needs and family responsibilities. Christina Mercier told the board the current academic-contract language (policy referred to in discussion as 3400/R) "is not ready to be passed as he is" and urged rewriting with compassion and inclusion of all absence types.
Board members and staff described the academic contract as a specific tool for students who have not completed required academic work and distinguished it from intervention plans that address attendance or deeper family and health issues. Superintendent Dr. Barnes and other staff said the policy changes were developed with teacher input and emphasized additional supports, including social workers, counselors, and attendance intervention teams. "If the solution is an attendance issue... we need to focus on that being the problem," Dr. Barnes said, urging triage to the core issue before imposing academic remedies.
After discussion the board voted to adopt the academic-contract-related elements and associated grading-policy adjustments; board members stressed monitoring and continued refinement to ensure students with verified medical or family hardships can access supports and not be unfairly excluded from remediation.
The policy-level changes will be implemented districtwide and staff said they would provide clarifying communications for families and educators on how attendance issues, academic contracts and intervention plans differ and how supports are triggered.
