Unit 40 Chronic Illness Appeal Form on Finals; Result of Thursday Special Meeting

The Effingham Unit 40 Board of Education Monday approved a waiver option regarding taking finals for students dealing with chronic illness.

Here's what was approved:

Final Exam Policy Appeal Form For Students with Chronic Illnesses

Regular attendance of students at school is the ultimate goal.  Research indicates that one of the most important indicators of student success in school is attendance.  This is the goal for the policy, to have students attend school on a regular basis.

For purposes of this appeal chronic illness does not include surgeries, car accidents, pregnancy, anxiety, panic attacks, parent illness, or death in the family.

In instances where a student has missed more than six days from school and is under the ongoing care of a physician for a diagnosed chronic medical condition, an appeal can be made by the student to be exempt from spring finals under the following conditions:

1. All previous absences must have been excused.
2. The student has no discipline points.
3. Physician verifies (signature required) the student has a chronic, diagnosed condition and is under his/her ongoing care for the condition.
4. The physician must verify that the number of days a student was absent is reasonable for the diagnosed condition (a form will be provided for students to take to their physician).
5. All appeals must be made in writing with the appropriate forms and signatures completed prior to the deadline date.
6. All appeals will be made to the building administration who will make a final decision of acceptance or denial.

The Board also held a special meeting this past Thursday to review a decision to issue a 10-day school suspension for a student. Following a review, the Board upheld the suspension, but directed that the student could return to school on principal's probation.