Seniors in McKinney ISD are having to attend school for one day after graduation because of an icy day in January. The make up day is May 29th, and the graduations are scheduled before Memorial Day, which is on May 28th. (This reminds me of school calendar options that are always floating around for approval during the busiest time of the year. With 3 million other things to do, teachers are supposed to sit down and analyze possible scenarios for the next school year. Back to McKinney.) The seniors will be given fake diplomas during the real ceremony and real diplomas if they show up for the last real day of school. Hopefully, they enjoyed their weather day back in January!
Still, students should keep one thing in mind: Texas law says they can't get class credit unless they maintain a 90 percent or better attendance record. The district plans to notify students who might jeopardize their academic standing by missing the last day.
Mr. Cunningham (district spokesman) warns that the last day won't be just sitting around. Finals may be done, he said, but learning will go on.
"It's not going to be a movie day," he said. "It's not going to be a 'sit back and clean your room' sort of day. It will be an instructional day."
Still, many students say they have no plans to swallow a last-minute dose of calculus. Instead, they plan to grab the diploma and run. Others are debating exactly what the school district could do to them.
Zack Curtis, 18, a senior at McKinney North, said he plans to leave after picking up his diploma unless officials say there will be consequences for doing that.
"I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize anything after high school," Mr. Curtis said.
To him, the extra class amounts to a last-ditch attempt by administrators to control the students at McKinney North, which was racked this year by a scandal over its cheerleading squad.
I would not want to be one of the teachers having to come up with stimulating lesson plans for students that don't want to learn one more thing before moving on to the freedom that they think awaits them in the real world. Perhaps the seniors could work on thank you notes for the graduation gifts that they have received. What about making a time capsule? It is only normal for these kids to complain, but why not make the best of a bad situation? When they are older, it will give them a story to tell their children and grandchildren. It also lets them know that rules are rules. I know a student who attempted to turn in a paper in college and was five minutes late to class. The professor refused to take it and said that it was late. How many high school teachers could get by with this?
Maybe this experience will help these seniors get ready for the real world. (And, what about sending those calendar options around earlier in the year?)