Swampscott school board OKs graduation requirement change

SWAMPSCOTT – Swampscott High School students will be seeing some changes in graduation requirements and open campus come fall.Following Interim Superintendent Garry Murphy?s recommendation to make Swampscott a more competitive school, the School Committee unanimously voted to increase the high school?s graduation requirement credits from 100 to 120. The increase would require students to take 30 credits per quarter instead of 25, meaning six courses instead of five in their seven-block schedule, explained Principal Edward Rozmiarek in his presentation to committee Tuesday.Murphy said compared to other high schools, a 100-credit requirement was a minimum. “We are not a minimum community,” he said. “We need to surpass the minimum. We want a first-class high school that we can all be proud of.”Rozmiarek added, “If we have a low graduation requirement, that tells colleges that straight-As don?t mean what they do at another school.”According to Assistant Principal Lytania Mackey, 92 percent of students had already taken 120 credits or more upon graduation. “Students want to take more classes, but it?s hard because we actually don?t offer enough,” said Mackey. “As far as electives, we are extremely limited.”Murphy said currently, the high school is understaffed to offer more electives and Advanced Placement courses that students want. According to Murphy?s plan to correct the problem, the committee approved with their vote $100,000 in funds from the budget to hire a full-time math teacher and additional substitute teachers. The hires would allow for more course offerings and for students to still have a lesson when teachers are absent.Dovetailing off the vote for the new requirements came a presentation of Murphy?s changes for the open campus policy. According to Murphy, students in a directed study, and especially students leaving campus during a directed study, are not getting the state-required 990 hours of education.?I don?t think any superintendent ever came to school committee and said, ?I have a great way to increase student achievement – open campus,?” said Murphy.Under Murphy?s changes, only seniors will have the privilege to leave campus. The seniors must also have a signed permission slip from a parent, have at least a C average, and check in and out at the front office. The privilege will not be allowed until Oct. 15.Murphy said he will be looking for feedback from students, parents and teachers on the new policy in the fall.