Public Notice Regarding Elimination Of High School Exit Exam

. BCSD will begin accepting these forms on August 1. The form can be completed online or printed and mailed to the district office. Trish Weeg, BCSD Director of Student Services has agreed to make herself available for interviews and answer any questions you may have about this information. — BCSD will begin accepting these diploma appeals on August 1st. The form can be completed online or printed and mailed to the district office. Trish Weeg, BCSD Director of Student Services has agreed to make herself available for interviews and answer any questions you may have about this information.

The General Assembly recently passed legislation titled Act 155, and it was signed into law by Governor Nikki R. Haley on April 14. The law states in part “Beginning with the graduating class of 2015, students are no longer required to meet the exit examination requirements set forth in in this section and State Regulation to earn a South Carolina high school diploma.”

Any former Berkeley County student who is no longer enrolled in a public school and who previously failed to receive a high school diploma or was denied graduation solely for failing to meet the exit exam requirements (BSAP or HSAP) may petition the Berkeley County school board to determine their eligibility to receive a high school diploma.

This bill covers students from the graduating class of 1990 to the graduating class of 2014. The Berkeley County School board will transmit diploma requests to the South Carolina Department of Education in accordance with Department procedures, which are included below.

Former Berkeley County School District students eligible to receive a South Carolina high school diploma under these provisions must have met all other graduation requirements at the time of his or her high school attendance. All eligible candidates’ names must be verified and submitted to the State Department of Education by the Berkeley County School District designee. The State Department of Education will not accept requests directly from a diploma candidate.

The South Carolina Department of Education will begin processing requests from local school boards as soon as possible. Since this law applies to the graduating class of 2015, students in the graduating class of 2014 who are denied graduation solely for failing to meet the exit exam requirement may petition their local school board for a high school diploma as soon as they are no longer enrolled in public school, as outlined in the law.

Learn more and submit your Diploma Appeal online by clicking here. If you have any questions about this information or completing the required form, please contact Trish Weeg, BCSD Director of Student Services at (843) 899-8611.