Braintree High Seniors Get OK for Early Dismissal

BRAINTREE, MA - Seniors at Braintree High School will get to leave school before the start of the final period if they have a study hall to end the day.

The Braintree School Committee voted to grant the request from senior class President and student representative to the school committee Sarah Murphy.

Murphy presented the committee with a petition featuring the signature of 200 Braintree High School seniors, or about half the class.

Under the guidelines proposed by Murphy and approved by the committee, seniors must maintain an overall average grade of 75 or higher in all daily classes, remain off social probation, free of repeated disciplinary issues, have no more than five unexcused absences, and no more than eight tardies. Seniors unable to comply with the guidelines will be stripped of the senior privilege.

The guidelines are the same for the morning study, which allows seniors to skip first period if they have a study hall.

Murphy said she compared her proposal with similar policies at Weymouth and Norwell High Schools.

Benefits to the privilege according to Murphy include less congestion at dismissal time, an opportunity to allow seniors more time to get to their after school jobs and a chance for seniors to pick up their younger siblings at other schools.

Before voting in support of the petition, committee member David Ringius said he had the same privilege when he was a senior at Braintree High School.

“I think this is a great proposal. will be very much in support of it tonight,” he said.”

The early dismissal privilege will go into effect at the start of the third term.