The Cape Elizabeth School Board is considering a policy change that would give high school juniors the option to leave school during the last period of the school day if they have no classes scheduled.

Natalie Vaughan, a representative of the junior class student government, which initiated the policy change, said the juniors are proposing to leave school at the end of the day for several reasons, mainly due to a lack of space at the high school where they can spend their free periods.

“The Achievement Center has limited space and is often closed for classes, the library has limited space and the cafeteria is (usually) closed for cleaning,” Vaughan said. “Juniors have said that they find it hard to find a place to go and get work done.”

The proposed amendment to the policy, regarding “use of unscheduled class time for high school seniors,” would add juniors to the title. Under the current policy, seniors at Cape Elizabeth High School have the privilege, with parent permission, to arrive to school late, leave early or leave campus during the day when they don’t have class.

According to Principal Jeff Shedd, underclassmen who meet the academic eligibility criteria, such as being on the honor roll, have an in-school privilege that allows them to use free periods to study in the cafeteria, library or other appropriate places. They are not allowed to leave the building, however.

In the fall, a group of juniors, led by Vaughan, initially approached Shedd and advocated for an off-campus privilege that would essentially give juniors the same privilege as the seniors. While Shedd was open to the idea for a variety of reasons, he was reluctant at first to provide the same extent of privileges to the juniors.

“It seemed to me that if the two privileges are identical, it diminishes the specialness of the senior privilege,” said Shedd. “Additionally, there are administrative challenges to monitoring student comings and goings.”

Shedd said to effectively monitor students, he is willing to allow juniors to leave school at the end of the day when they don’t have classes, but he is not open to allowing them to arrive late or leave during the day.

He agreed with Vaughan that students are restricted as to where they can study during their free periods.

“We believe that it would be more beneficial for the students to be able to leave rather than wait until the end of the day when we don’t have a class to attend,” Vaughan said on behalf of the junior class.

The school board held a first reading of the draft policy on Feb. 10. The school board’s policy subcommittee will work on fine-tuning the language in the policy before holding a second reading and possible approval at a meeting Tuesday, March 10, at 7 p.m.

Policy Subcommittee Chairman John Christie said the issue was first raised in late 2014 and brought to the committee in January. Though the school board has not formally voted on the policy, it “supports student initiative, and the policy committee is working with the high school principal to accommodate the students’ request,” Christie said.

Shedd met with several juniors earlier this year to find “common ground” for expanding junior privileges. Student government representatives said the juniors mostly care about leaving school early when they don’t have class, he said.

“We agreed that would be the starting point for looking at creating an expanded junior privilege, with board approval,” Shedd said. He is proud of the students for their “constructive leadership” and for showing their willingness to compromise, he said.

Students seeking privileges must meet standards outlined in the school department’s policy regarding co-curricular and athletic programs and high school eligibility requirements, beginning with grades recorded the last quarter during the student’s sophomore year. Both juniors and seniors must also meet privilege regulations, which are detailed in the student handbook. The Cape Elizabeth School Board adopted senior privileges in October 1984. The policy was last revised in February 2009.

Vaughan said because the vast majority of juniors have their driver’s license, students don’t need to wait for the buses or other transportation to go home. She said the junior class also believes it has “demonstrated a level of maturity and responsibility that renders us deserving of this privilege, and that our class as a whole can be trusted not to abuse it.”

According to Vaughan, the juniors’ proposal was not a result of any one event at the high school. The students have become frustrated about wandering the school during free periods or getting distracted while studying at the end of the day. Juniors then began to wonder why it was necessary for them to remain at school when they had no classes and their own vehicles to drive home, said Vaughan.

Students also proposed a minimum GPA requirement, similar to the one for seniors, that would require students who are failing or struggling academically to stay at the school all day until they improve their grades, Vaughan said.

Student government first proposed a change in policy to the school board in October after several students approached her throughout the fall, said Vaughan, a school board representative.

“We decided that it was best to not advocate for late arrival, as well,” she said. “The seniors have the privilege to arrive late to school if they don’t have a class (during) first period. The school guidance office has had some issues with seniors trying to deliberately rearrange their schedule to get themselves a free first period.”

Knowing that the school was trying to control this problem, Vaughan said, the students decided to ask for only early dismissal. Personally, said Vaughan, assuming the school board approves the policy change, she plans to use her new free time to do her homework at home.

“Most juniors use their frees to do homework, and while this privilege wouldn’t necessarily free up our entire afternoon, it would provide us with an opportunity to get work done at home rather than getting distracted in a loud classroom or hallway,” Vaughan said.

She added that the change “is not driven as much by the desire for equality with seniors as it is by the desire for the solution of an inconvenience. We believe that as juniors we are mature and trustworthy enough to handle this freedom.”

Christie agreed.

“In under two years, juniors will be managing most or all of their time on their own, in college or working, and a little practice may serve them well,” he said.

A Closer Look:

On Tuesday, March 10, at 7 p.m., the Cape Elizabeth School Board will hold a second reading of a proposed policy change that would allow juniors to leave school at the end of the day during their free periods.