Butler County Schools Superintendent Darren Douthitt hopes that a change in the school district’s graduation policy will raise the bar for students.

At Thursday’s Butler County Board of Education meeting, on the recommendation of Douthitt, the board voted to eliminate appeals for students that failed to meet graduation requirements, which now includes passing all required portions of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam.

“I made the decision to make this recommendation based on the belief that we have set the bar too low,” Douthitt said. “The world can be a cruel place, and if we give students something without them earning it, we are doing them a disservice. In this world nothing is given that is not earned. We’re not trying to take away anyone’s opportunity to participate in graduation, but they must have met the criteria in order to participate.”

Douthitt told the board Thursday night that approximately 30 students had appealed to his office for the opportunity to participate in this year’s graduation ceremony. He said he would not grant an appeal.

“If a student is going to be a part of graduation, that student should be getting a diploma,” Douthitt said.

Under the old policy, in order to participate in graduation ceremonies students were required to meet the following criteria.

• Students must be currently enrolled in the Butler County School System.

• Students must have passed all required courses during his or her 9-12 grades and have passed all required portions of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam.

• Students must be eligible to receive one of the following diplomas: Alabama High School Diploma, Alabama High School Diploma with Advanced Academic Endorsement, Alabama High School Diploma with Advanced Career/Technical Endorsement, Alabama High School Diploma with Career/Technical Endorsement, Alabama High School Diploma with Credit-Based Endorsement or an Alternate Adult High School Diploma

In the past, students that failed to pass all required courses of study or earn a minimum required number of Carnegie units were not allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies.

Students who have completed all of the graduation requirements with the exception of passing the required sections of the Alabama High School Graduation Exam (AHSGE) were afforded the chance to appeal to the Superintendent requesting permission to participate in graduation ceremonies.

In order to appeal, students were required to show that they had taken and attempted to pass the exam each time it was offered; attended 75 percent of all available remediation courses/tutoring between test administrations; attended courses designed to assist students in passing the GED and attempted to pass the GED.

Students appealing to the Superintendent’s office were required to present written evidence verifying that the they had addressed all four areas above.

Under the revised policy, students will no longer be allowed to appeal to the Superintendent’s office.