Here at McClatchy, becoming a senior comes with several given perks: the freedom to leave campus during lunch, looking forward to senior ball, having your own parking pass, and the option to take less than the usual six classes—to name a few.
Class of 2019 has been deprived of some of these perks. Towards the end of last year, incoming seniors met with their counselors and received some rather confusing news: all 12th graders would now be required to take six classes without the elective option of a TA period.
The ultimate decision for seniors to take the mandatory six classes came from the school district’s Superintendent, not administration or counselors. In fact, counselors were notified about the decision of requiring six classes after they had spent months creating schedules for the upcoming school year.
Many grew unhappy with the prospect of having a full schedule senior year, and teachers were left without the extra hand they have relied on in the past years.
12th graders were baffled with the news and often responded with the same reaction.
“Having six classes should be an option that each individual can choose. Administration shouldn’t force kids who want to further their education to take these pointless classes,” says 12th grader Christopher Rinetti.
“Our A-G classes are already in our schedule so we could potentially use the remaining periods for classes that could help us in college,” added senior Africa Gaines.
McClatchy staff have relied on their TAs to complete the tasks they can’t carry out due to overloads of work, and by taking away this privilege, they have become crunched for time to get work graded and handed back to their students.
Administration was contacted for further questioning, however no comment was made.