Next year: No opt out cards

(Editor’s Note: This article was posted on April 1st as an April Fools joke. Since it is still being shared post-April 1st, we want to make sure that everyone knows this was a joke.)

Due to a new state issued standard, all students must take every exam in each of their classes. This also includes the final exams given at the end of each semester, meaning that the opt out cards that would have gotten students out of one or two of these tests before, are now useless. The Fair Grove superintendent’s assistant Evan Shields stated, “I think that this new standard is a great way to keep the students studying and with an end of the year goal.”

There were two types of opt out cards that students could strive to get. The first being a non-core, which could be used for exams in student picked classes, was earned with a 95% school attendance and no I.S.S. (in school suspension) or O.S.S. (out of school suspension). The second was a core, used in classes that are mandatory for that year, earned with a 98% attendance and no I.S.S. and O.S.S. Mr. Shield was very against the cards to begin with saying “…these cards are an insult to me as an educator, I pour my time and effort into making a test to challenge my students, and to have them come up and tell me they wont do it is an insult.”

Several teachers in the school agree with him, that opt-out cards are an insult.

The only anticipated down sides to taking away the opt out cards are, first a lower student attendance and, second a higher rate in student violence; however, the school board is already voting on ways to deal with these repercussions. One board member commented on the subject, he said, “We have already voted on things including, adding to current security, this security will be paid for with money taken from the sports programs, and a policy that will hold students back from going into their next grade or even graduating if their attendance is too low.”

While the percent of attendance required has yet to be determined, the policy itself has been passed and will be put in use in 2020 with the new state standard.