By: RILEY VUOLA
Staff Writer
If you go to a school in the VUSD school district, then you know that seniors have to have a 94% attendance rate in order to walk at graduation. This has been a rule for a very long time, but lately, this rule was abandoned due to covid and all the complications with it. They just brought this rule back for the class of 2023 and I believe that this was a big mistake.
The main reason as to why this wasn’t the best idea is that covid is still very real and is a very big issue in our area. We like to pretend that it’s over and it definitely isn’t. It’s completely unfair to give the seniors of last year a free pass on attendance and then immediately bring the rule back and strongly enforce it for the class right after.
I don’t think we should have this rule at all, but if we do have it I think the percentage should be much lower than 94%. I think an acceptable percentage would be as if it was a class we had to pass. 60%-100% is passing, and anything lower would be failing. Maybe we could even create a system where people who have a very high percentage get an extra cord at graduation or some sort of award. Honestly, expecting us to be here on time every single day is completely ridiculous. There are so many variables in people’s lives that prevent them from being on time or even from being at school altogether.
I know that if you have a doctor’s note, it doesn’t count against you, but not everyone has the privilege of having a doctor they can just go to whenever they’re sick. A lot of people, like myself, have to just stay home and fend for themselves when they get ill and they’re not able to get a note.
Overall, this rule is extremely inconsiderate to many different kinds of people with different struggles and if it’s not disbanded altogether, it should at least be a lower percentage with room for other people’s struggles.
I second this