As an 18 year old you can legally vote, enlist in the military, and drop out of school without your parents’ consent. In the eyes of the law you are responsible for yourself. As an 18 year old student, you are entitled to these rights. So why are eighteen year old students at Scituate High School denied the opportunity to exercise the full scope of their legal rights? At SHS, even if you are eighteen, your parents are obligated to sign all dismissal notes, all syllabi, and most health related forms. Currently, there are no laws in place suspending the legal rights of 18 year olds in high schools.There is no language in the SHS Handbook recognizing these rights to student adults.  Like any situation related to high school students, the problem isn’t black and white. As more students are turning eighteen, the problem is becoming controversial.

Students who are 18, or on the brink of turning eighteen, question Scituate High School’s motive behind banning students from signing themselves out of school. Senior Madeline Shannon, who just turned 18 in mid-September, expressed her frustration with the high school’s policies. She said, “As a legal adult, having these certain privileges taken away does not allow us to take on age appropriate responsibilities. Senior year should be a time of growth into adulthood allowing us to make decisions concerning our education.”

This issue of whether or not 18 year olds should be able to sign their own notes has also been on the mind of students who are turning 18 in the near future. Justin Rodrigues, a junior who is turning 18 later this year, believes that 18 year olds should be able to dismiss themselves as “legally with the state, 18 year olds are allowed to make their decisions without parental consent.” Rodrigues believes that they should confirm their dismissal with administration at the beginning of the day, so that 18 year olds don’t abuse this policy. He said that 18 year olds “should be able to sign their own notes, but they should also get a signature from Mr. Duffey or Mr. Wargo” to make sure they have a legitimate reason for leaving school.

Like any school policy, there’s always a reason behind every decision.. The real question is, what’s the problem with writing a note to leave school for a doctor’s appointment, a college visit, or leaving for an interview? Because there are no laws in place that include 18 year old’s rights regarding dismissal and signing notes, there must be some sort of regulation, and there must be reasons that sparked these policies.  Mr. Luette, the new Vice Principal for Student Life, provides insight into what the school policies. Although it isn’t a state law, Scituate High School does have the right to require parent or guardian’s permission on all activities that require signatures. Mr. Luette brings up the valid point that, “people that are eighteen would just be signing themselves out. There are state laws that do require students to be in school a certain amount of hours.”

Ms. Ward, a familiar face to anyone bringing a note to the office or getting dismissed, reiterated that 18 year olds aren’t allowed to dismiss themselves as students need a certain amount of hours at school to graduate, and if they left whenever they wanted, they may fail to meet the requirement. In the administration’s eyes, the temptation of abusing this policy may cost some seniors their high school diploma.

The restrictions on 18 year olds who wish to sign their own notes and dismiss themselves from school lies between an administration that thinks it is acting in the best wishes of its students and 18 year old students who want the freedom that comes with being a legal adult.