Annual Notice of Withdrawal
Pursuant to State Requirements: M.G.L. c. 76, ss. 5, 18; St. 1965, c. 741, this is the annual notice notifying any student that has withdrawn from Pembroke High School without transferring to another school or alternative diploma attainment program and as a result has not yet earned a Pembroke High School diploma or Competency Determination from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that we continue to want to support you in your educational goals.
No student who has not graduated from high school shall be considered to have permanently left public school unless an administrator of the school where the student last attended has sent notice within five days from the student's tenth consecutive absence to the student and the parent/guardian of the student in English and the primary language of the parent or guardian (to the extent practicable).
I have sent individual letters to all students with additional rights they have to include offering at least two dates and times for an exit interview between the superintendent (or designee) and the student and the parent/guardian to occur prior to the student permanently leaving school. The notice includes contact information for scheduling the exit interview and indicate that the parties shall agree to a date and time for the exit interview and that the interview shall occur within 10 days of the notice. The time and the date for the exit interview may be extended at the request of the parent/guardian but for no longer than 14 days. The superintendent or designee may proceed with the exit interview without a parent/guardian if the superintendent or designee makes a good faith effort to include the parent/guardian.
The exit interview shall be for the purpose of discussing the reasons for the student permanently leaving school and to consider alternative education programs and services available to the student. The superintendent (or designee) shall convene a team of school personnel, such as the principal, guidance counselor, teachers, attendance officer, and other relevant school staff, to participate in the exit interview with the student and the parent/guardian. During the exit interview, the student shall be given information about the detrimental effects of early withdrawal from school, the benefits of earning a high school diploma and a list of alternative education program and services available to the student.
Any district servicing students in high school grades sends annual written notice to former students who have not yet earned their competency determination and who have not transferred to another school a. to inform them of the availability of the publicly funded post-high school academic support programs and b. to encourage them to participate in those programs.
At a minimum, the district sends annual written notice by first class mail to the last known address of each student who attended high school within the past two years.
The Superintendent shall annually report to the Department the number of students sixteen years of age or older who have permanently left school, the reasons for such leaving and any alternative educational or other placement the student has taken. Acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college and/or today’s workforce is critical and we encourage you to either return to PHS to complete your diploma here or seek alternative options as listed below:
There are several programs in the area that offer opportunities to earn your high school diploma or High School Equivalency Test, HI-Set (formerly GED):
1. Middleborough Evening Community School Middleborough, MA (508-946-8868)
2. Bridgewater-Raynham Eve. Alt. HS (EXCEL) Bridgewater MA (508-697-6902, ext. 11152)
3. High School Equivalency Test, HiSET Plymouth MA(508-830-4260 plymouthlit@comcast.net)
4. Weymouth Evening School Weymouth, MA (781-337-7500) 5. Rockland Evening School Program Rockland, MA (781-871-8410)
If you would like to discuss your educational opportunities further, please contact the PHS Guidance Department at 781-293-4023.
Sincerely,
Marc Talbot Principal