"Senior Project"

[Left-ca]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California


Our School makes everyone do the Senior project. The students start working on it early Junior year, continue to work on it over summer, then throughout senior year.

This is a project that we all have to do, they take this one project and make it 10% of our History grade and 10% of our english grade, Over the course of the two years it is always factored in. There are kids who have had C+'s and not B-'s because of the project that was factored in. The school said the only way to change it and get it out of the grade book was to leave and they would reajust the grades. A few kids did this. My parents kept me at the school. Keep in mind that we also have many hours of homework per night.

Are they allowed to readjust the grades if a student leaves?
Are they allowed to assign us a 2 year project and have it factored in multiple different classes grade books?
Are they allowed to expect us to do community service over the summer?(we need a form saying we did 30 hours on the first day of school)

Thanks,
Nathan

 

[cbg]

1.) Yes.
2.) Yes.
3.) Yes.

 

[quincy]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California


Our School makes everyone do the Senior project. The students start working on it early Junior year, continue to work on it over summer, then throughout senior year.

This is a project that we all have to do, they take this one project and make it 10% of our History grade and 10% of our english grade, Over the course of the two years it is always factored in. There are kids who have had C+'s and not B-'s because of the project that was factored in. The school said the only way to change it and get it out of the grade book was to leave and they would reajust the grades. A few kids did this. My parents kept me at the school. Keep in mind that we also have many hours of homework per night.

Are they allowed to readjust the grades if a student leaves?
Are they allowed to assign us a 2 year project and have it factored in multiple different classes grade books?
Are they allowed to expect us to do community service over the summer?(we need a form saying we did 30 hours on the first day of school)

Thanks,
Nathan

The answer to all of your questions are "yes, they are allowed to do this."

In fact, many schools across the country are now requiring community service hours for graduation and many schools now connect classes together with projects like the one you are required to do. And, if a student leaves the school before the project is due, it is reasonable that they would not be graded on it.

Are you having problems meeting the requirements this summer, with the community service hours? Or are you struggling a bit with the 2 year project? In other words, what are your concerns with the school requirements?

 

[Left-ca]

Only 5 or so of the students have even met the requirements, out of the 90 seniors we will have. It has significantly pulled most of our grades down.

My main problem i didnt state above

We all have to have our project O.Ked by one of the teachers. The teacher that oked my prompt is now leaving. He allowed me to differ from the norm. Instead of the usual "How to help kids" and the community service is working at a preschool I am doing how to reduce phantom power and make others aware. He said I could do this and when I asked about the community service He said that we would cross that barrier when it came. But now hes gone. My project evolves around measurements and making others aware, which I will be doing when I present my project infront of all the people. However I cant possibly get 30 hours of community service that way. Now that that teacher is gone the other teacher told me that I have to change my project as I cant follow the guidelines of community service. Do i have to change my project or is there some legal thing that makes community service not manditory.

this is why i was asking about community service

 

[I'mTheFather]

Why not plan a series of presentations. You can take your presentation to every elementary and/or middle school in the area. Contact the public libraries in your area. They may be interested in your project. Be creative. I'm sure you can eke out 30 hours if you put your mind to it.

 

[quincy]

Only 5 or so of the students have even met the requirements, out of the 90 seniors we will have. It has significantly pulled most of our grades down.

My main problem i didnt state above

We all have to have our project O.Ked by one of the teachers. The teacher that oked my prompt is now leaving. He allowed me to differ from the norm. Instead of the usual "How to help kids" and the community service is working at a preschool I am doing how to reduce phantom power and make others aware. He said I could do this and when I asked about the community service He said that we would cross that barrier when it came. But now hes gone. My project evolves around measurements and making others aware, which I will be doing when I present my project infront of all the people. However I cant possibly get 30 hours of community service that way. Now that that teacher is gone the other teacher told me that I have to change my project as I cant follow the guidelines of community service. Do i have to change my project or is there some legal thing that makes community service not manditory.

this is why i was asking about community service

I think you will have better luck trying to work within the community service hour requirement rather than trying to get out of the community service hour requirement. I don't see offhand any "legal loophole" on which you can rely.

I'mTheFather has an excellent suggestion - to introduce your idea to the community in a series of small presentations. This also has the advantage of getting you prepared for your final presentation.

Another suggestion, that I don't like as well, could be to contact the teacher who is leaving and have him write a letter to the school stating that he previously okayed your project on phantom power - perhaps the school will relax the requirement in your case, since the project had already been approved.

Good luck.

 

[cbg]

There is NO law you can invoke that will force the school to waive the community service requirement. This is something you're going to have to work out with the school. The law is not going to interfere on your behalf.

 

[quincy]

There is NO law you can invoke that will force the school to waive the community service requirement. This is something you're going to have to work out with the school. The law is not going to interfere on your behalf.

That is not to say, however, that attempts have not been made.

For an excellent overview of the types of challenges that have been made to the mandatory community service requirement - challenges that have included deprivation of liberty, involuntary servitude, religious-based claims, forced association - here is a link to an article published in 2000 by Rodney A. Smolla titled, "The Constitutionality of Mandatory Public School Community Service Programs." http://scholarship.law.duke.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1149&context=lcp