As midterms are nearing, many students are expecting to exempt from exams, but the current exemption policy can be confounding.

During COVID, attendance didn’t play a role in a student’s ability to exempt from exams; now the current requirements are the same as the pre-COVID expectations.

Students are able to be exempt from up to three exams, although exams for some classes will be mandatory. A student must achieve an A or B in both quarters of a class to be exempt from an exam. Students must have less than five absences in all classes– this includes diploma supports– to be exempt from any exams. It’s important to note that medical absences still count against exemptions.

Still, many students see flaws in the requirements for exemption. Ilene Goddard, an IB sophomore says the requirements are “unfair and encourage students to come to school sick.” This is a valid point emphasized by outbreaks of COVID and the flu. Goddard also points out that students can go on field trips that won’t count as absences, but staying home sick– something that protects other students– will count against them. 

Exam exemption rules are created by Florida’s Department of Education and cannot be altered by the school as they are mandated by the Florida legislature, something that frustrates many students trying to navigate through their first semester with the traditional exemption conditions.