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By JOYANNA LOVE | Managing Editor

Chilton County Schools students now have the option to graduate a semester early.

“This is a service that we want to offer to our parents and to our students,” CCS Superintendent Corey Clements said. “This is not a requirement in anyway … We want our people to have more options than they have had in the past. We have surrounding school districts that offers this.”

The benefits of having this option were highlighted for Clements soon after he became superintendent. He heard about three different students who had opportunities open mid-year that they could not take because graduating early was not an option.

“I don’t want to do anything that is going to put our students at any kind of disadvantage in any way, whether it is work force, military service or college,” Clements said. “We want to make sure we are giving them every opportunity to pursue those things.”

The mid-year graduation option will be available to students who are already on track to graduate and in good academic standing.

The credit requirements for graduation will be the same. Clements said a lot of planning went into creating a way for all seniors to have this opportunity. To make this possible, the school system is switching to a traditional block schedule next school year, and summer school classes are being offered. Clements said the summer classes will allow the seniors to get two credits.

“Rising seniors will have the opportunity to take a science and a social studies during summer school and then they can take their math and their English during their first semester of their senior year,” Clements said.

Summer classes will be in-person. Clements emphasized that having the classes be “in-person instruction” was important to him.

There will be a fee to take the summer classes.

Those who choose to graduate in December will be welcome to participate in the school’s graduation ceremony in May. Clements said these students will also be allowed to participate in honors day and prom.

High school juniors interested in the early graduation option should contact their school counselor.