As third quarter draws to a close, many students gaze longingly out of the windows, dreaming of taking a day off just to relish in the revived sunlight of springtime. Thanks to exemptions, many seniors remain found glued to their desk chairs.

   Senior exemptions area major motivating factor that keeps seniors in class.

  “I’ll do anything I can to get those exemptions,” senior Alison Austin said.

   Indeed, many seniors, even on their deathbed, will come to school rather than take an absence for a sick day.

   The policy for senior exemptions is as follows: At the end of the year,seniors who have an A in a class, can have three absences and not have to take the exam for that class. If they have a B, they can only have two absences to be exempt. Only one absence is allowed for a C, and anything lower than a C requires that the exam must be taken. In addition, seniors are allotted two college visits apart from the required minimal number of absences.

   All absences must be exempt. March 24 does not count toward exemptions if seniors miss the day due to previous spring break plans since it’s a snow make up day.

   “I think that if you have an A in a class it shouldn’t matter how many absences you have,” senior Neeki Tahssili said.

   This is a sentiment shared by many seniors who sometimes feel that an A in a class should reward them no exam no matter what.

   “I think it’s especially unfair for students in AP and IB courses. I’m taking 15 IB exams and an AP exam, and yet I still have to take the class exam if I don’t meet the exemption policy,” senior Martha Vann Alford said.

   Many students think that taking an AP or an IB exam should be a sufficient end of course examination, even if the teacher does not see the score until July.

   “We study so hard for our IB and AP tests in May, and then have to continue to remember a whole year’s worth of information until the teacher exam, which can sometimes be an entire month later. That’s unfair for students in all higher level classes, not just seniors,” senior Isabel Perry said.