A new schedule for the midterm exams has been posted to the official school website. The format of the new schedule has been amended from previous years. Early dismissals will not be granted on exam days due to a new district wide policy.

“District personnel made the decision to change the schedule from the way we used to have it, and now on that last day [Thursday] all of the schools will be getting out early instead of just the high schools,” Associate Principal Johnnie Hayes said.

Many students are not pleased with the way the schedule has changed and do not find it necessary to complete a normal school day after already taking their finals.

“I don’t think the new schedule will be beneficial to the students, because a lot of people favor the old schedule. I’m one of those students that favors the old schedule. I’ve gotten used to it, my whole time being here and then they just switch it,” junior Dahki Adams said.

Staff views the schedule changes in a more positive aspect considering it will benefit the other schools in the district other than just the high schools.

“It will be more fair to the other schools— the middle schools, and the elementary schools, because we used to hear some complaints that they still had the full day and we had the half day,” Hayes said.

Many students mentioned the fact that after they have taken their finals they will most likely leave early despite the rule change.

“I think they changed the schedule in hopes of students coming to school more often and having better attendance, but I know quite a few people personally that are just going to leave early after their final anyways,” Adams said.

At the beginning of the school year, there was a handbook change put into place that will not allow students to have more than six absences per class if they wish to exempt their Spring finals.

“If the students are finished with their finals they might end up trying to go home, but that will end up in disciplinary action because that’s a truancy and that comes with ISS. They could actually lose their exemptions for the Spring finals at the end of the year so they need to be careful with that,” Hayes said.

It is not guaranteed that the Spring finals schedule will be the same format as midterm exams, so many students/staff are very hopeful for early release during Spring finals, Hayes said.

“The district hasn’t actually given us the Spring schedule yet, so we are still in a holding pattern waiting to see how the exam schedule will look for the Spring,” Hayes said.

The midterms schedule can be found here: Midterm Schedule