Posted: 2/26/04
By Barbara Brown
Anne Van Sant can participate in the graduation ceremony of North Branch High School this year with the friends sheís gone to school with for 12 years.
Van Sant, a senior at North Branch High School, is a special education student who just wanted to walk across the stage at graduation to celebrate completion of her education.
A North Branch School Board policy prevented her and others from donning their caps and gowns with their peers if they were going to remain in the districtís transition program.
During the school boardís work session Feb. 19, the board indicated it would change the policy.
Several years ago, the boardís policy on who could and could not participate in graduation, said any student who fails to complete his or her course requirements could not participate in graduation ceremonies.
Inadvertently, special education students remaining in the transition program were included in the students who could not participate even if they completed their individual education plan (IEP) because some of those IEPs do not have the generally required number of credits ñ 74 ñ needed to graduate from high school.
Van Santís mother, Maggie Van Sant, petitioned the school board to take another look at the April 2000 graduation policy to allow special education students who finish their IEPs but who remain in the schoolís transition program to participate.
Maggie Van Sant said the students donít have to receive a diploma, since the district does not get any more money for students who receive diplomas.
She asked the board to consider the feelings of the special education students and their families who simply wanted to celebrate one more rite of passage in the life of a child.
The board is expected to adopt the updated policy at the Feb. 26 meeting.
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