Starting the new school year there have been a few changes to the format of the exemption policy. This year we now have the chance to skip first semester finals which is no doubt something to be interested in. But they changed the way to earn the privilege to skip finals. The same old rule is in place that you can not have any unexcused absences no matter what. But what has changed is that you get only three excused absences. That’s it. Whether you are sick or you have a doctor’s appointment if you miss school it counts as one of your three absences. There are two exceptions to this and that is your five mental health days and your two college days. This policy has people upset because they feel like it is encouraging people to come into school sick and it can spread illness around more than it would if sick people were to just stay home.

“I think it’s a good concept but three is a little low, sometimes people get sick to the point where they need to be gone for three days. Are they expected to be well for the rest of the semester in order to skip the finals? I don’t think so. That’s unfair” – Aiden James, Senior.

Dr Toberman stated that he needed a way to lower the attendance stating ”There were about twice as many absences in the fall of 2023 as there were in the fall of 2019. The current policy regarding attendance and finals decided upon by that committee with the goal of improving attendance.”

The attendance has been getting worse and worse throughout the years reaching record high levels of absences. Something obviously needed to be done to lower the policy so they made a reward that is to skip first semester finals but they just made it a bit harder to reach that goal. One of the biggest things with this is that a lot of people are saying that Dr. Toberman made this decision himself when he really didn’t have a say in it. The board is the only one who can change or make those kinds of decisions and Toberman can only put in his recommendations. Toberman stated that if a student believes they need special circumstances they should go into administration and they can consider it. It’s obvious that the new exemption policy isn’t perfect and it obviously wouldn’t be the first try, but it is a needed step to improve our attendance. It can always be changed for the better throughout the year and made to be more cautious of illness