School+Issues

The Wisdom Party fully supports the well-being of the Student Body. We believe that to achieve the best and most fulfilling education, the students must be provided with specific freedoms and responsibilities to mold a well-rounded professional in the future. To do this, various __School Wide Issues__ must be amended. Some issues are as followed:


 * 2nd Period Study-Halls**

Since the creation of Senior Privileges, students and teachers have debated the issue of 2nd period study-hall in connection with Open Campus. Many students, along with the entirety of the Wisdom Party, believe that seniors should be able to sign out to second period study-hall the day before they actually have it, saying that they will not be coming into school until 3rd period. The current policy in place makes this impossible, as seniors have to come into school for advisor and sign out that morning. This is not only a waste of gas and time, but it is precious time being spent that seniors with open campus privileges could use to catch up on their sleep. The Wisdom Party's opinion on this issue is that the administration should be more flexible when it comes to second period study halls. Our solution is that any senior with open campus privileges and a second period study hall should be able to sign out of their study hall the day before they have it, letting the teacher know that they are using the privileges they deserve to gain some much needed rest.


 * Junior Dismissal**

Do you think all upperclassmen deserve the right to dismissal? We believe Juniors can benefit from the luxury that Seniors retain in school dismissal. This change would produce many benefits with minimal downsides. First off, study halls are packed with students. Library sign-in sheets fill up in minutes, leaving many stranded in the boring white walls of a classroom. Emptying the school would create less congested study halls. Also, most Junior students have licenses (like the Seniors). Junior students would now have the freedom to take a break from the school grounds to either grab a bite to eat, take a nap, or work at home. We believe Juniors are responsible enough to handle this privilege. Like with Seniors, this privilege would be accessible only to those who fit the academic standards. This alone could help motivate Junior students to strive and work harder in school.


 * Tardies**

The Yarmouth High School tardy policy is in need of change. The school's advisors are not consistent with their view of the policy. Some consider a student "tardy" only if he or she does not show up for advisor at all; by contrast, other students are marked late if they arrive at 7:41. Advisor time does not contain an extremely structured schedule, and it quite frequently becomes an unproductive period. Although it is clearly a student's responsibility to arrive at school on time for class, the tardy policy at YHS is too strict and inconsistent. It is the Wisdom Party's belief that those teachers who mark their advisees as tardy only if they are extremely late for advisor have the correct view of the situation. The tardy policy for advisor time should be changed to become more lenient.


 * Expansion of Global Awareness Groups**

Yarmouth High School, though small in comparison, is able to make a difference in the world. The Wisdom Party believes that a student should have the mind set of global participation and leadership. To do this, more Global Awareness Groups must be encouraged at our high school. We need to understand the immensity of our world and the duty as an American to help those less fortunate. Groups such as Build On and Global Action should be expanded and the overall awareness of world issues must be taught in class. Efforts to help the aid the devastation in Haiti have been well-received and more should be done to raise understanding of other issues world wide.


 * School Budget**

When Yarmouth High School has to reduce it's budget, it shows how deep of a recession our country is in. With the budget being cut by over $500,000 this year, some changes are going to be taking place in the school system. These changes might include pay-to-play for sports teams and even less funding for the few remaining field trips students can participate in. The Wisdom Party wants everyone to know that this is not the time to cut funding for education. Once Yarmouth's school system starts to suffer, the entire town will feel the burden. Less families will be enticed to come to Yarmouth, leading to even further budget cuts from the depletion of the amount of taxes being payed. Next year, the budget is expected to be reduced by another million dollars, something that would plunge Yarmouth and it's school system further into recession. Raising taxes will combat this lessening budget and ultimately help Yarmouth as a whole.