R-I board discusses grades, how to close out school year

For the high school students in the Poplar Bluff R-I school district, the grades for spring semester can only improve as conversations continue about prom and graduation.

Dr. Scott Dill, superintendent, told the school board Thursday night that the district, same as others around the state, will use the third quarter grades for the spring semester reports.

Those students whose grades are not passing or not where they want them to be, the option to turn in assignments that were not previously submitted is available to improve their grade. However, there is nothing that will hurt a student’s grade at this point, Dill said.

If a student is still failing a class after missing work is turned in, have the option to take credit recovery before the end of the school year in May.

“Because of how the governor issued his edict and shut us for the remainder of the year, we are technically still in school until our last day,” Dill said, which is May 21. Until then, students can earn credit.

The grade for this semester will not change a student’s grade point average or class rank, he added, for the 2020, 2021, 2022 or 2023 graduating class.

“The impact of this semester will have a ripple effect throughout the student body in terms of how that’s calculated,” he said.

Students currently in a credit recovery course are now able to work on that from home, Dill said. Students enrolled in dual credit are working with the colleges on those classes.

Meanwhile, students in advanced placement (AP) classes, the grade will also come from third quarter and students “can still prepare for and take that AP test if they are in a position to do that,” he said.

In terms of the traditional events that end the school year, Dill said there’s a number the district can’t reschedule, but those that can be he wants to.

Those the district is looking to reschedule include prom, graduation, teacher of the year banquet, retirement recognition, sports ceremonies, senior banquet and the military ball.

“I know (prom) may not be high on our priority list as adults all the time, but as a 16, 17, 18-year-old kid that’s one of the highlights of the social calendar,” Dill said. “Some folks have already laid out serious bank for some dresses and some duds. I think we need to honor that.”

Board member Roger Hanner, who has a son graduating, said he asked his son what was important in the situation.

“He said graduation is highly important,” Hanner said. “He said prom is pretty important because ‘I’m really done with high school and if we don’t have something, I got cheated.’ I said, ‘Yes, I know. Not just you, but 350 other students in our school and I don’t know how many millions of kids across the country.’”

Dill agreed that prom is important for the school seniors, but also brought up its importance for community morale as well.

“At some point we can open up, do the grand march, and just give people some hope for the horizon,” he said.

However, events such as the early childhood end-of-year program won’t be able to happen because the students aren’t in the position to prepare for it.

The district is having to look at the collection of library books, textbooks, chromebooks, fundraiser money and uniforms.

“Right now (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines say that as all these things come in, basically we do a no-contact drop off, we put it in a bin someplace and let it sit for a week, and then start fooling with it,” Dill said. “It’s all complicated and it’s all different at every level.”

Dill said the list of things for consideration keeps growing because the things that are a normal part of ending the school year aren’t normal all of a sudden.

“It won’t be the same as it would have been, but we’re going to try our best to salvage what we can in what has been a very difficult and strange situation,” he said.