In the past, senior release was a privilege given to every senior. For the 2022-2023 school year, however, requirements have been added to limit the number of seniors who will be eligible for this opportunity. This is to encourage more success in their future by allowing them to take college prep courses instead of going off campus — but not everybody’s happy.

The new requirements state that to gain off-campus privileges, a student must be deemed ‘college ready’ by  fulfilling one of the following: pass the TSI Assessment, get at least a 1070 on their SAT,  get a combined score of at least 23 on the ACT, score a 3 or higher on an AP exam, successfully complete 3 or more hours in a Dual Credit or UT OnRamps course, get an Industry Based Certification, or graduate under a special education services degree plan.

This change in requirements has affected many students’ schedules and overall plans for senior year, with some now being required to enroll in ‘college prep math’ and ‘college prep english’ during the periods they would otherwise have off-campus.

“Over half of my friend groups [have been affected]. It’s like 15 people,” said junior Jarah Hayes. 

“Thankfully, I have passed my AP tests and my SAT, so they don’t apply to me. But [there are] definitely other people who have already put them in their schedule for next year and can’t do it. They’re pretty disappointed,” said junior Maggie Bachmann.

Many students find these new requirements unfair, since they were sent out after classes were selected.

“I’m not completely against them, but I definitely feel like they should have introduced them before we picked our classes, or before we took our SAT, or before we took our AP tests because if — I know speaking from my friends — if they would’ve sent them out a while ago, people would have had different reactions to them,” said Bachmann.

The change in requirements was designed to help students get ready for college by taking these college prep courses in their fourth and eighth periods. Many students understand the reasons for these changes, yet others feel it’s unfair.

“I think the upcoming seniors should have the opportunity and not have it taken away,” said Hayes.

The new requirements for senior release have been met with some opposition, but students are hopeful that they will improve the school in the future. 

“I hope that this change in requirements will allow Champion students to expand their academic success,” said junior Kambree Beavers.