Can school make me repeat a class and not others because i was sick?

Question

I have sickle cell so i miss alot of days by being in the hospital. Ok so i'm very smart. I was in 9th grade algebra1 in 7th grade. I had to have an 85 or higher to get my high school credit. I had an 84. Ok no problem So i took it again in 8th grade. This is where the problems start. My teacher have me 0's for papers from when i was in the hospital for months!!!! She actually expected me to make up for 6 months of work in 3 while still keeping up with the current work!! Can she do this? My other teachers just excused me. And those are above my grade level too.

Answer 1

Schools are expected to work with you when personal illnesses (such as sickle cell, which requires lots of hospital visits) take you out of the game for a while. I can see there being a requirement of the student to follow up, but if you have a doctor's note you should be given a certain amount of time to make up your work AFTER you return, based upon the schools' policy.

If the teacher didn't adhere to the school's policy, take it up first with the teacher, then with the principal.

If the school has a no-make-up policy, take it up with the principal and present your case. If the principal isn't receptive, have your parents petition the school board (it probably violates ADA measures to not allow make-up for incapacitated students).

If all else fails, ask your high school if you can simply test into Algebra 2 or Geometry or Trig, whatever comes after Algebra 1.

Answer 2

You should had done your work during your stay at the hospital. The fact that your teachers excused you means that you are not learning everything you need. She has the right, and even more then a right, she is supposed to do this.

Answer 3

You have to learn the material to get credit for a class.  You can't just be excused from learning.  If your teacher just passes you and sends you to the next class you will not be able to do it because you will not know everything you were supposed to learn in algebra.  When you are in the hospital, make sure you get your work and try to learn it even if you don't complete all the assignments.  Then work with the teacher to see if you can come to some agreement.  Maybe you could take the exams when you get back to school.  If you can show her that you know the information, she may excuse you from the assignments and give you credit for the course.

Answer 4

You should never just be "excused" from a class for absences, whatever they may be.  During long term illnesses one of two things needs to happen.  The first is a version of home school.  In this scenario a private teacher who is employed by the school district provides one on one instruction to you.  The assignments are based on the school curriculum you are missing.  The number of hours you meet with the tutor depend on how many hours/days/weeks you miss of school.  The work you complete gets turned into the regular classroom teacher at your school who records the grades.  This is the most common accommodation made.  It is also the easiest to complete.

The second option is to give you enough time to make up the work you missed.  This should only be done if the first option is not applicable (this may be due to the nature of the illness--if you are physicaly or mentally unable to complete the required work).  However, if you missed several months and this occured at the end of the school year, it may be impossible to make up the work before the next school year begins.  

Math is a building subject, which means you need to have adequate knowledge of the previous subject (ex: Algebra I) before moving onto the next (ex: geometry).  If you have not worked with a tutor during the year or made up the work afterwards, then you have not shown mastery of Algebra I and cannot move on to the next math class.