Near the end of every semester, every student at McIntosh is given an exemption form to be signed. This form states the exams that the students will exempt and must be signed by students’ parents in order for the students to exempt their exams.

Many students take this requirement seriously and get their forms signed. Others fail to do so and pay the consequences. Students who do not get their forms in on the due date must take every one of their exams regardless of their academic and attendance exemption status.

For some who have borderline passing grades, this lack of exemption can cause them to fail. For others, GPA scores plummet.

Sophomore Shane Karafanda said, “I’ve always worried about not getting my forms signed before they’re due. It’s a completely unfair repercussion that needs to end. Some of my friends stress a ton for exams and just taking away one or two of them can greatly reduce that stress. Taking away an exemption that a student earned is horrible, and I don’t know why the administration allows it.”

The administrators may believe that returning these forms on the due date demonstrates students’ responsibility and maturity. However, we’re all humans, and everyone makes mistakes at one time or another.