Reality hits for everyone on that mid-August day that class schedules for the upcoming year are released. For some, it serves as a reminder of what is ahead, and prompts the beginning of summer homework. For others, it brings forth panic when they are faced with the realization that the schedule they signed up for is far too difficult for them.
Come September, these students frantically try to get out of their AP and honors classes, creating more work for administration in the process.
Administration is not just trying to be mean, there are reasons why students are not supposed to be moved out of higher level classes after the school year starts.
Liberty is unique in the way that the master schedule is built around the classes that students sign up for. This is done with the intention of giving as many students their desired schedule as possible. Unfortunately, this means that it is difficult to switch students into new classes after the master schedule has been created because there may not be enough space to move students into different classes.
Additionally, if administration does move students into new classes that are already full, and the class size goes above the limit, the teacher of the class is required to receive proper compensation. This can mess with the budget that was set for Liberty in the previous spring.
Occasionally there are extenuating circumstances, like a family emergency or a mistake in placement, behind a student’s request to be removed from an AP or honors class, and these requests are valid, and will most likely be granted. However, students are only ever guaranteed removal from a class if they have mental or physical health issues that will prevent them from being successful in a class.
Thus, when students do not put enough thought into their schedules and what they can handle, they make the already busy beginning of the year, even busier for administration. They also put administration in a difficult situation, expecting them to make changes that affect many other people in the building.
Students should not be surprised when their requests to switch out of classes are denied, but more importantly, they should be more courteous of the time that administration must give up in order to deal with these requests, and be more careful when choosing their schedules in the spring.