What Do Mustangs Think About Exemptions?

Finals season is approaching and one factor that affects each student during the dreaded season is exemptions. 

For each grade level, there is a different amount of exemptions one can earn in order to exempt their semester final. Freshmen can earn one exemption per semester, while sophomores can earn two per semester, and juniors can earn three per semester. Seniors, on the other hand, have the ability to earn four exemptions for the fall semester and seven for the spring semester.

In order to be able to exempt a final, a student must have a semester average of 80 or above for the specific class. As students scramble to earn exemptions, they must factor in one major component–  absences, since a student cannot miss more than three days of the particular class per semester, and this tends to affect many students.

“I think the absences should be taken more into consideration,” sophomore Carla Silva says. “It’s not your fault if you get sick and can’t go to school or have a family emergency randomly happen. However, if you choose to stay home because you’re tired or don’t feel like going to school then it should affect whether or not you can exempt.”

However, some students believe that the exemption process is reasonable.

“The exemption process is fair in my opinion because if you’ve worked hard enough to earn an 80 or above and you have attended majority of the lectures, you should be rewarded with exemptions,” freshman Stephanie Lai says.

During the process of exempting a final, students must have an exemption card, available to pick up during lunches, and obtain the signature of the teacher who teaches the class the student would like to exempt. This card is then turned into the Assistant Principles’ office by the deadline given to students.