My friend goes to a “Magnet” school. Anyone in Union COunty can get in as long as they take an admissions test. I used to go there but transferred out. It is a public school, with every city in Union County paying for all the costs to keep it going. They have always had the graduation requirement of 40 hours of community service before you graduate; otherwise, you don’t. I always thought that the state said what was required for graduation…not the individual schools.
This is my friend’s senior year and he has about 1.75 hours of community service. Does he really have to do all this, or can he argue his way out of it? Thanks for any help.
My school is a public H.S. in New York and, while obeying the state’s requirements, it also has its own rules for graduating. I guess any school can add to the state’s laws somewhat, although this is only done by the magnet schools, for the most part.
I attended public high school in Camden County. As near as I can tell the state determines the minimum requirements for graduations (credits, passing the HSPT/HSPA, etc.) and then beyond that school districts are free add requirements within reason. In my district for example, you could not gaduate if you had over 15 absences over the course of your senior year, or if you had any outstanding bills of any kind. You also had to have a “clean” record, meaning that if you had any kind of administrative punishment coming your way that hasn’t been paid…service, detentions, suspensions, etc you could not graduate until you had done your time.
The state law specifies graduation minimums, but it probably also allows the establishment of special public schools with their own requirements or curriculum, otherwise, this school could not exist at all. You could try arguing the point, but you’re probably going to lose, and if your friend is going to go to all that trouble, why not save himself some hassle and just pass out food at a shelter a few hours a week?
Union County Magnet High School…same campus as the VoTech school. Actually, the VoTech cullinary students are the ones who cook the Magnet school lunches.