GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Pupils will be placed by the school principal and staff, in cooperation with the parents or guardians, at a
grade level to which they are best adjusted academically, socially, and emotionally. The final decision for
the placement of pupils shall lie with the school principal.
Graduation will be made on the recommendations of the superintendent of schools and the school principal.
Students must have attended Banner County High School his or her senior year and passed all subjects
required for graduation. Any exceptions to this policy or requests for special consideration will be decided
by the school principal and superintendent of schools, who will communicate the rationale and final
decision to the board of education. A total of 260 credits are required for graduation. Physical education will
be waived only upon a physician’s recommendation.
Students who have an Individual Education Program must meet standards established by that program for
classification and graduation.
Graduation requirements are as follow:
English 40 Credits to include 10 credits in each of the following: English I, English II, English III
Math 30 Credits to include 10 credits in each of the following: Algebra, Geometry
Science 30 Credits to include 10 credits in each of the following: Physical Science, Biology
Social Studies 30 Credits to include 10 credits in each of the following: American History,
American Government
PE & Health 10 Credits: PE 5 Credits, Health 5 Credits
Personal Finance 5 Credits
Computer Science 5 Credits
TOTAL 260 Credits
Transfer Students entering the district after their freshman years who have difficulty meeting graduation
requirements because of class conflicts or course sequence problems will be addressed on an individual
basis.
IDEA Considerations
Graduating with a regular high school diploma or reaching the maximum age of eligibility both result in
termination of a student's eligibility for Special Education (IDEA) services. Procedurally, the student's
Individualized Education Program (IEP) team must meet to review the student's status and issue the
appropriate coding for the student, specifically 210 or 211 as described in the ADVISER Data Elements
Manual, a reasonable time before the student's eligibility is terminated. These meetings may be held via the
telephone or through a virtual platform (e.g. Zoom, Google, etc.) and should include the student (if
possible). The school district must also provide the student with a summary of performance prior to
graduation or ending services because of age.
IEP teams may have already provided a Notice of Graduation or Notice of Ending Services Due to Age to
certain students. As this is an issue of IDEA eligibility, the Nebraska Department of Education recommends
that school districts make every effort to complete these steps in a timely manner.
Requirements Related to American Civics (Nebraska Revised Statute 79-724)
Ensure that the social studies curriculum in the district incorporates one or more of the following for each
student:
(i) Administration of a written test that is identical to the entire civics portion of the naturalization
test used by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services prior to the completion of
eighth grade and again prior to the completion of twelfth grade with the individual score from
each test for each student made available to a parent or guardian of such student; or
(ii) Attendance or participation between the commencement of eighth grade and completion of
twelfth grade in a meeting of a public body as defined by section 84-1409 followed by the
completion of a project or paper in which each student demonstrates or discusses the personal
learning experience of such student related to such attendance or participation; or
(iii) Completion of a project or paper and a class presentation between the commencement of
eighth grade and the completion of twelfth grade on a person or persons or an event
commemorated by a holiday listed in subdivision (6) of §79-724 or on a topic related to such
person or persons or event.
Approved July 14, 2014
Revised May 11, 2015, July 9, 2018, October 9, 2023, April 8, 2024
