EARLY GRADUATION | Policy Manual | Durand-Arkansaw School District

5464 - EARLY GRADUATION

A student who completes the Durand-Arkansaw School District’s graduation requirements in less than four years of attendance in a school-approved program in grades 9, 10, 11, and 12 may graduate early with the approval of the Board. Each case shall be judged on its own individual merits.

When making early graduation decisions, the Board shall review recommendations from the student’s parent(s), administration, and other appropriate staff members. The student shall provide the reason(s) for requesting early graduation.

Procedure

To assure the appropriate steps are taken in a timely fashion, the following steps need to be followed in the pursuit of early graduation. The Board will act on requests twice per year: at the April Board meeting (of the student’s junior year) and at the September Board meeting (of the student’s senior year).

Requests at other times will not be considered, as such factors, such as scheduling, must take place at specific times of the year.

The student and the student's parent must make a written request to the high school principal at the time of senior registration (April) describing the alternative educational plan proposed.
A letter from a parent giving permission to graduate early must be included with the student’s request. The timelines mentioned in step two must be followed as well.
The guidance counselor will review transcripts to determine if the student has enough credits to consider early graduation.
A conference including the parent, the student, a counselor, and the principal will be held to discuss and react to the proposed plan. School personnel may choose to accept or reject the plan presented by the student and the student's parent if the student is not on schedule to graduate. If the plan is approved, the principal will recommend early graduation to the superintendent for review.
The superintendent will review the student’s academic record and include those records, the student’s transcript, and the student’s and parents’ letters for review by the Board.
The student must meet all of the school’s requirements by the end of the student's seventh semester. Required courses will not be waived.
A student who successfully completes the student's plan shall be eligible to receive a diploma at the regularly scheduled graduation ceremony. If the student will be participating in any District activities or programming, including the District's graduation ceremony, then the student must abide by all Board policies and school rules.
A student who completes the student's plan at the end of the seventh semester thereby is approved as an early graduate and will not be eligible to participate in any school activity thereafter, with the exception of the graduation ceremony.

All decisions made by the Board will be final with no means for appeal. The principal will communicate the decision of the Board, in writing, to the student as soon as possible.