PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — An emergency order was passed Wednesday by the Palm Beach County School District to keep up with changes caused by COVID-19.
Graduating seniors who have not completed their 20-hour community service requirement will not be penalized.
School board members agreed to a one-time waiver for the 2019-2020 school year.
They also changed student attendance to be counted based on student engagement in live virtual class discussions, submission of written assignments and participation in class discussion boards.
One school board member voiced her concerns about students who may take advantage of this and end up getting by without any live classroom interaction.
"I think some way we have to figure out, as we try to be flexible, for those who are not able to go online or the household with numerous children on one device and so forth, that we don't create a problem," said Dr. Debra Robinson, school board member representing District 7.
Other changes made by the board include how the calculation of final grades for middle school and high school students will be determined.
The emergency policy adoption is also only in effect for 90 days unless it is extended.
Calculation of Final Middle School Grades
- Due to the cancellation of EOC civics test, the final course grade shall be an average of the four quarters.
- Students who are absent more than 10% of the marking period will not be required to demonstrate mastery by passing a quarterly assessment for Quarters 3 and/or 4 High School Credit Courses offered in Middle School will follow the rules and exemptions outlined in the High School Credit Section of this document.
Calculation of Final High School Grades
- Semester Grades: All students will be exempt from second semester exams for high school credit courses. The 2nd semester grade will be calculated using the 3rd and 4th nine weeks grade. Grades will be rounded up to the nearest letter grade. The requirement that students pass a semester exam if they have excessive absences is waived for the 2nd semester
- Full Year Grades for Courses with an EOC:
The final grade for high school courses with an EOC will be calculated as follows: Q1: 22%; Q2: 22%; Semester 1 Exam: 12%; Q3: 22%; Q4: 22%
The requirement that students pass the Fourth Quarter when over the absence limit in order to receive credit is waived for this school year.
Below are the other changes adopted by the school board at Wednesday's meeting: