Second Semester 2020/21 School Year

So, it appears my suspicions were correct after all; it isn't merely a solo act...

Nicholas King said:"It’s just impossible."

"Absolutely impossible."

"Simply out of the question."

Lock this thread already. You people clearly have no clue what you're talking about, and frankly, nothing here is even remotely possible.

In the States, people find ways to do just about anything, including wandering through high school hallways even when they're supposed to be in quarantine.🤣
So, I don't see much point in locking anything down. We'll probably end up reading about every possible scenario here eventually anyway.

I honestly can’t wrap my head around anyone suggesting that missing high school graduation exams due to COVID—and consequently losing out on college admissions—is even worth debating.

The government has known about this situation for an entire year now; if we can’t manage to organize testing for these kids, then they should just hand over the reins to a state-appointed manager...

Personally, I believe someone like urbantinker8—if they actually went public with the stance that finding a way to administer these exams isn't a priority or a big deal—should be fired from their institution immediately. It’s no different than a doctor refusing to treat a patient, blaming them for their own illness, and acting like withholding necessary care is just a minor inconvenience.

A teacher is the absolute last person on earth who should even imply that missing a chance at your dream university after years of hard work and planning isn't a massive deal.
This is infinitely worse than those people who just mock education and intelligence in general.

If I were a teacher and knew my school or the state failed to provide a way for a student to take their exams because of COVID or some other issue, I think Oprah would be calling me for an interview all the way from Sussex after hearing from Britney.

Unbelievable!!!

Drew Johnson2 said:But what if that person happens to be on vacation the day the high school seniors take their exams? Does the entire national testing schedule just get canceled? Is there really no backup plan?

Why are you even starting this?

We’re still two months out from the exams, but honestly, I don't see much being done to adapt the testing environment to current circumstances. It’ll likely just go on exactly as it has for the last decade—business as usual.

BTW, looking back at last year, the infection numbers during the exam period were negligible.

Drew Johnson2 said:So, it appears my suspicions were correct after all; it isn't merely a solo act...

Actually, it really is just one person.

I mean, if the coordinator is still around and doing fine, a substitute doesn't get any kind of access to the exam materials at all. They shouldn't even be getting anywhere near them until the actual day of the test arrives.
They aren't allowed to print out the questions, they can't sign anything, and they definitely can't take possession of any documents. It’s not part of their responsibilities, I suppose. They don't have the authority to handle things like the duty schedules either.
A substitute is really only someone you trust to step in during those extreme, outlier situations where the exam coordinator is objectively unable to perform their duties.

Has there really been absolutely no way to pivot or adjust this over the course of the last year?
It is just your classic American bureaucracy... endless red tape, a thousand different complications, yet not a single coherent solution in sight.

Amanda Hughes37 said:I honestly can’t wrap my head around anyone suggesting that missing high school graduation exams due to COVID—and consequently losing out on college admissions—is even worth debating.

The government has known about this situation for an entire year now; if we can’t manage to organize testing for these kids, then they should just hand over the reins to a state-appointed manager...

Personally, I believe someone like urbantinker8—if they actually went public with the stance that finding a way to administer these exams isn't a priority or a big deal—should be fired from their institution immediately. It’s no different than a doctor refusing to treat a patient, blaming them for their own illness, and acting like withholding necessary care is just a minor inconvenience.

A teacher is the absolute last person on earth who should even imply that missing a chance at your dream university after years of hard work and planning isn't a massive deal.
This is infinitely worse than those people who just mock education and intelligence in general.

If I were a teacher and knew my school or the state failed to provide a way for a student to take their exams because of COVID or some other issue, I think Oprah would be calling me for an interview all the way from Sussex after hearing from Britney.

Unbelievable!!!

Wow, you really are something else—so incredibly wise and profound, aren't you? I guess I should probably take notes.
I think we should bump this post back to the top of the thread, just so everyone gets a quick refresher on Katarina Rijecka. It’s worth revisiting, especially when you see her sitting there on the couch with Oprah, talking about that whole heartbreaking situation with the national exams back home and all those monsters who basically stood in her way.😂😂

Drew Johnson2 said:Has there really been absolutely no way to pivot or adjust this over the course of the last year?
It is just your classic American bureaucracy... endless red tape, a thousand different complications, yet not a single coherent solution in sight.

But I suppose you're asking me, aren't you?
That feels like just one more question for the NCVVO pile. Are you keeping track?

Drew Johnson2 said:Has there really been absolutely no way to pivot or adjust this over the course of the last year?
It is just your classic American bureaucracy... endless red tape, a thousand different complications, yet not a single coherent solution in sight.

Look, things can be updated and adjusted in much less time than what's left before prom season hits. It seems frankly absurd to claim it's impossible, and honestly, it feels pretty heartless to tell these students that we shouldn't bother making any changes or adaptations at all.

Sean Stewart said:I find all this dramatic fuss over missing the state exams a bit ridiculous, honestly. We’re essentially conditioning kids—or rather, students—to believe the world will bend over backwards for them, constantly accommodating their every whim. Then, once they actually step out into the real world, they hit the pavement hard.

Look, regardless of COVID-19, there are plenty of other ailments that might sideline you, and frankly, nobody cares. If you end up with a stomach bug right before a massive exam at a university like NYU, do you really think the professor gives a damn? They’ll just tell you, "Better luck next year, buddy." They aren't going to reschedule an entire midterm just because one student is feeling under the weather. If you're late to a job interview that could have been a career-defining moment—well, sorry, but they’re just going to hire whoever actually showed up. If you miss your flight for any reason at all? Too bad. Catch the next one.

Adult life isn't filled with sympathetic homeroom teachers or principal figures who collect excuse notes and hand out tenth chances to someone like Mark, who has spent nine consecutive history exams dealing with sudden nausea.

Don't get me wrong—it’s unfortunate when a student gets hit by COVID-19 right during finals, or during any major life milestone—be it a sister’s wedding or a driving test. But who exactly is going to organize a secondary testing window for everyone? It’s unmanageable. My mother’s friend spent weeks quarantined in her house, barely leaving to go to work, just to ensure no one in the family caught it—all so her daughter could test negative before traveling abroad to find a better life. If that girl had tested positive, do you really think anyone would have offered her a second chance? Or take my acquaintance who couldn't even attend her grandmother's funeral because she was stuck in isolation.

Personally, I've had quite enough of the panic surrounding the virus—this whole idea of locking people down while, on the flip side, everything seems fair game if you happen to be a celebrity or a loyal voter for Bloomberg's crowd.

In my view, the solution would be simple: allow students in isolation to take a test before their exams. If they're negative, let them sit for the test alongside everyone else. And it shouldn't just be for students; if you're stuck in quarantine, pay for your own test and get back to your life.

The whole issue is about the outcry from those stuck in self-isolation, not necessarily those who are actually sick. I think that's where the tension started.
Self-isolation hasn't been effective at controlling the pandemic for months now, especially when you have entire classrooms being put into self-isolation repeatedly. How many students (or their families) actually get sick? Maybe one or two, yet they are constantly forced into isolation, whereas teachers don't seem to face the same rules.
It's losing its purpose because a huge portion of the population (according to some studies, about 25% of Americans) has already been exposed to the virus over the last year. If they were in contact with someone infected, they have to isolate, unless they've been sick in the last three months.
For the seniors, this means that even if they recovered anytime between early March and late March, they could still end up in self-isolation on the day of their final exams. There's a very slim chance they'll catch it again or pass it to their caregivers.

Honestly, this whole debate feels pointless. People keep claiming schools are breeding grounds for the virus, even though teachers have been working remotely for months instead of fighting on the front lines. Most grandparents likely caught it from their school-aged grandkids—"bio-terrorists," as some might say—so any reasonable person would realize that most students, especially seniors who have been in school since January, have already been exposed and their ability to take their exams should be considered secure regarding COVID-19.

Nicholas King said:Well, I suppose that’s exactly why this is such a heated debate—people are practically fighting tooth and nail against any possibility of letting quarantined students sit for their exams.

BTW, comparing this to missing a flight is a massive reach, and claiming that you have to wait an entire year to retake an exam just because you were sick? That's simply not true.

Some universities don't even follow strict deadlines—it's all that credit-hour bureaucracy and red tape. Sure, a doctor's note carries weight if you're hospitalized or dealing with a chronic condition, but do you honestly think anyone is going to believe a student was sidelined by a sudden bout of stomach flu right before an exam? Nobody's going to admit they couldn't leave the bathroom in time to sit for a test.
I remember being a student myself—I've definitely sat through exams while dealing with a bladder infection, essentially armed with nothing but heavy-duty pads. At many colleges, professors just do whatever they feel like; some might offer a makeup quiz for those who are genuinely ill, but they'll make the questions so impossibly difficult that you'd almost rather stay sick than face them.

As for why the missed flight comparison fails—well, missing a flight can derail your entire life, whereas for some, missing a high school exit exam isn't even a major setback. A huge number of seniors show up to these tests just as a tourist attraction—simply because it's local and free. Most parents, teachers, and principals just nudge them to go through the motions so they don't live with "what ifs" later on.

Drew Johnson2 said:I’m asking you because you seem perfectly fine with how this all played out. You’re basically defending a system where a high school senior in a rural town can't even access a site like Reddit without issues—and you don't see any problem with that.
In fact, there's something twisted about you taking pleasure in someone missing their graduation exams just because they were irresponsible... as if being stuck in self-isolation is some kind of choice made while partying in a basement to old country tunes.

I must be losing my mind, honestly.

Amanda Hughes37 said:I must be losing my mind, honestly.

Honestly, I think I might be right there with you. This afternoon, I’m actually heading out to the cemetery to leave some flowers for a man who passed away from COVID-19—someone who hadn't even stepped foot outside his house in nine years...
It seems those twisted minds at Bloomberg and Markoticka have gone and drawn this absurd parallel where infection equals being irresponsible, and now people are actually weaponizing that logic, as if anyone can be held accountable for simply being stuck in isolation...

Sean Stewart said:Some universities don't even follow strict deadlines—it's all that credit-hour bureaucracy and red tape. Sure, a doctor's note carries weight if you're hospitalized or dealing with a chronic condition, but do you honestly think anyone is going to believe a student was sidelined by a sudden bout of stomach flu right before an exam? Nobody's going to admit they couldn't leave the bathroom in time to sit for a test.
I remember being a student myself—I've definitely sat through exams while dealing with a bladder infection, essentially armed with nothing but heavy-duty pads. At many colleges, professors just do whatever they feel like; some might offer a makeup quiz for those who are genuinely ill, but they'll make the questions so impossibly difficult that you'd almost rather stay sick than face them.

As for why the missed flight comparison fails—well, missing a flight can derail your entire life, whereas for some, missing a high school exit exam isn't even a major setback. A huge number of seniors show up to these tests just as a tourist attraction—simply because it's local and free. Most parents, teachers, and principals just nudge them to go through the motions so they don't live with "what ifs" later on.

I agree with the sentiment, but the core issue remains. If a kid who actually has the talent to get into pre-med or speech pathology on their first try loses that shot because of this virus—and because the government is too incompetent to step up—that's a tragedy in itself.

Just imagine some poor, unfortunate soul who ends up stuck in self-isolation for both periods... and then, at the end of it all, they haven't even finished high school. They won't be able to land any job that actually requires a diploma...

Amanda Hughes37 said:I agree with the sentiment, but the core issue remains. If a kid who actually has the talent to get into pre-med or speech pathology on their first try loses that shot because of this virus—and because the government is too incompetent to step up—that's a tragedy in itself.

Katarina, it really comes down to bureaucracy. Just pure red tape.
Mandatory isolation is such an unfair, discriminatory call. You see politicians who didn't have to worry about staying home, even though they were out shaking hands and posing for photos with pro tennis players, only to catch it later through close contact at home. It just doesn't add up.
The whole idea of putting entire classrooms under quarantine feels totally pointless as long as the professors aren't being held to those same standards.

Wasn't it basically the same thing last year with self-isolation? Like, you just deal with being sick, take your SATs in the fall, and get into college if your score hits the cutoff.

Drew Johnson2 said:Just imagine some poor, unfortunate soul who ends up stuck in self-isolation for both periods... and then, at the end of it all, they haven't even finished high school. They won't be able to land any job that actually requires a diploma...

And then there's the professor you've looked up to for four years—someone who actually taught you things and tried to shape your character... suddenly, they just don't care. "Listen... I don't give a damn about you. I'm not even going to be in the same room as you. Just re-enroll next year. Take this semester off. You probably spent too much time partying anyway, so enjoy the break."

Garf, I’m not entirely sure if you deleted your post yourself or if the mods stepped in, but I can still see it being quoted by Amanda Hughes37.
I don't mean to sound like I'm making light of the whole thing, because honestly, I find the entire situation pretty repulsive.

But look, if this rule about social distancing or isolation isn't applied universally—meaning some people end up getting penalized just because they were minding their own business, while others get a free pass nine times out of ten by claiming, "this is my right and I'll do what I want"—then I guess the whole system might as well just fall apart.
We should probably just scrap this whole concept of "self-isolation," which feels like a non-existent, irrelevant category that everyone interprets however they feel like, and just let people go wherever and whenever they please, sort of like back in the old days.
There really isn't any middle ground here.
Either the rule applies to everyone equally, or it doesn't apply to anyone at all.
Some people have a high school graduation, others have an overseas flight, some need to hit up a CVS, and some are heading to a funeral.
If we're going to be inconsistent, then I suppose everyone should just just go about their own business.

It’s honestly pathological—the way we've just accepted it as normal when healthy people are being shoved into intensive care units.

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