Santa Rosa City Schools board members agree to changes in graduation waivers for struggling students

Access to graduation may now be easier for students in the Santa Rosa City Schools district after the board of trustees approved a new set of waivers Wednesday night.

The action was an answer to pleas from teachers who’ve argued that the district’s graduation requirements are keeping struggling students from succeeding.

One of the chief benefits of the new policy is that students will no longer be required to fail a class before being considered for a waiver.

In 2018, the district adopted the “A-G For All” policy, a policy that requires all high schoolers to meet college entrance requirements in order to receive their diplomas.

The plan was designed to increase access for students of color who weren’t taking advantage of the college preparatory classes.

However, the new curriculum removed introductory math and English classes as course options for all high schoolers.

Instead, it funneled students into the rigorous college preparatory classes starting in ninth grade, regardless of their learning level. And it increased the rigor of all history and science courses.

Not long after the policy was adopted, graduation rates plummeted.

In the five years that have followed since the A-G alignment, the board has authorized yearly waivers to the graduation requirements, allowing students who are in danger of not graduating because of math or foreign language requirements, to waive those courses and still receive their diploma.

On Wednesday night, board members agreed to an ongoing waiver, which allows students to omit the third year of math requirement with the written permission of their parent or guardian.

This round of waivers appears to fix some concerns brought up by parents and teachers at a Dec. 20 board meeting, where waivers were approved for the classes of 2024 and 2025.

The new waiver process was designed by a committee formed by Superintendent Anna Trunnell after the special board meeting in December.

The committee — made up of teachers, community members and district officials — met four times prior to Wednesday’s meeting, and provided board members with two options for future waivers.

“Both were trying to address the same problem,” said Santa Rosa High School teacher and committee member Will Lyon. “We were not sure if they were going to vote on either of them. Option two is what we wanted, but option one was a way to get us halfway there.”

The second option, which was approved in a 3-2 vote, eliminated all language that restricted which graduating classes can access waivers. It also created an off-ramp from the three-year college prep requirement earlier than previous waivers allowed; offered alternatives to the second year math course; and allowed for a student to opt out of the third year of math if they realize they will be unable to pass it once the course begins.

The off-ramp from the college prep three-year math track allows students to access elective classes and career technical education courses in lieu of the third-year math course, which involves complex algebra, statistics and trigonometry.

Lyon felt this waiver allowed parents more agency in aligning with their student’s future after high school.

Trustee Jeremy De La Torre, who voted in favor of the waiver, applauded the parental input.

“I’ve had two (children) who have now graduated college, and for our family, the four-year UC was not an option for our students because emotionally, mentally, they were not ready for that right out of high school,” he said. “So as a parent, I want to be able to be a part of that conversation because time is of the essence, and we don't have a lot of it.”

The new waiver also changed the previous rule that a student would have to fail their third-year math course to access the graduation waiver.

"Philosophically, we don't agree with the idea of allowing a student to fail a class long term and then expecting them to be motivated to be successful in other classes or to want to pursue higher education at another institution,“ said Ashley Bell, Santa Rosa High School history teacher.

Bell also serves on the 25-member committee and addressed board trustees Wednesday night, alongside Lyon.

The board meeting took an informal structure where board trustees directly asked Lyon and Bell clarifying questions in the last 20 minutes of the nearly four-hour meeting.

“We have a graduation issue, which we all are aware of,” Bell said. “This is a short-term solution... I want to thank Anna Trunnell because I have been screaming up here from the rooftops for the last six years about this, and she’s the first person to give me the opportunity to be on a committee to bring you something. This is the closest we’ve gotten to a change on this.”

Hesitancy from Trustee Ed Sheffield focused on the elimination of the third year of math and how that option may inadequately prepare students when they enter junior colleges. He and board Vice President Ever Flores voted no on the waiver.

Board President Omar Medina and Trustee Alegría De La Cruz were absent for Wednesday’s meeting, leaving the final vote 3-2.

“Thousands of kids are glad that that's the way it went,” Lyon said, after the meeting. “It’s some well needed relief.”

Report For America corps member Adriana Gutierrez covers education and child welfare issues for The Press Democrat. Reach her at Adriana.Gutierrez@pressdemocrat.com.