The school board approved changes to district exemption guidelines. Over the summer, a committee consisting of students, parents and staff from MISD met and discussed changes to the exemption guidelines for the 2024-2025 exam seasons.
Sophomore Isabella Avalos took advanced courses and stayed involved with the school. She felt the pressure of trying to keep her exemptions while also balancing the appointments that she needed to attend.
“I feel like [the new policies] going to really help with some big changes,” Avalos said. “I feel like it’s going to give more students opportunities to exempt since a lot of us had to miss because of appointments. I personally had a lot of dermatologist appointments last year, so my exemptions wouldn’t be valid because those were doctor’s notes and it wouldn’t count toward them.”
Last year, absences for any type of sickness, even with a doctor’s notes, were counted against students’ exemptions. In the past, students struggled with the old policy because they were choosing between going to doctors’ appointments or keeping their exemptions. The former policy prevented sick students from attending school even though their absence would have been excused, students would have lost their chance to have any exam exemptions for missed classes.
“I think the changes were a general consensus by pretty much everybody,” Academic Associate Principal Stephanie Monajami said. “Obviously, as school staff members, we don’t want kids to be here when they’re sick. Yes, it is important to attend school and to be here as much as you can, but when you are legitimately ill, it’s no good for anybody when you’re here.”
The new policy includes adding a third exemption and allowing absences for medical reasons to no longer cause students to lose exemptions as long as they turn doctor’s notes in within three days of returning.
“Exemptions are designed to be an attendance incentive, so hopefully attendance will be good,” Ms. Monajami said. “But now with doctors’ notes not penalizing students, hopefully, their mental well-being will be better knowing they can still be exempt with their grades staying up.”
Both staff and students expect this to help them stay motivated and willing to work for higher grades and better attendance rates.
“I’ll be less stressed,” Avalos said. “I’ll be able to focus more on the classes I am taking instead of just trying my best to study all around.”
“I think some of the teachers, maybe the attendance clerks, and for sure, me, are probably going to get a lot of questions from parents who, for whatever reason, didn’t turn in their doctors’ notes within the three-day requirement,” Ms. Monajami said. “It’s going to be a little rough the first time.”
These guideline changes will change exam season. By allowing students to take less tests, have a healthier semester, and to be in an overall better state of mind these changes will have a positive effect on the school.
“I feel really, really positive about them, and I’m really happy that they’re added,” Avalos said. “I’ll be less stressed, and I’ll be able to focus more on the classes I am taking instead of just trying my best to study all around.”
