Amidst the crisis and spread of COVID-19, there have been many who are struggling with their jobs, finances and the most importantly taking care of families. For the students of Nacogdoches High School, this is something we know all too well year-round, but even more so now the with strain of uncertainty around grades, AP classes and the situation regarding the 2020-2021 school year. While for many this has been a smooth transition, for others it is not that simple. 

First, we would like to acknowledge that the faculty shares the same worries as us. As students who work and have many tasks to worry about, we appreciate the District's decision to cease in-person schooling and transition to online, and attempt to make all teachers available. Second, we understand that all of us are struggling with work, meals, money, and health. The students of NHS would also like to thank Suddenlink for providing free internet access to those without but would like to express that some students do not have electronic devices, nor means of getting up to the school to receive packets.

We understand that this laborious process of grading is hard for the teachers and students, and we share your frustration at this moment in time. As a result, we simply ask to alleviate this for both teachers and students and transition to a pass/fail grading system for the remainder of the 2019-2020 School Year.

Switching to pass/fail would mean alleviating strain on the students who do not have resources, create engaging environments where the students are having time to worry about family life and health rather than a number grade, as well as relieving teachers of the already copious amounts of work they do. Moreover, it has come to our understanding that there has not been many high schools who have switched to pass/fail but some very well known Universities such as Duke, MIT and Georgetown have made the switch to pass/fail for the remainder of the school year, hoping to cater to the array of students who do not have internet access, have sick loved ones, or are struggling to make ends meet due to layoffs; the students of NHS should be no different. It is important for us, the student body, to make clear to you we are not asking this to "get out of work", we do not wish to see our futures destroyed or our lives knocked out of bounds more than they already are due to this tragic event--we simply want relief. Many of the students as stated earlier do support themselves, their families and their futures, and we depend on the help of those inside the system to hold our hands at this time and tell us it will be okay and we will get through it.

As leaders, parents, and teachers, we hope that you will understand and sympathize with us, but also that you will take action and stand with us in solidarity in our plea for stability in these uncertain and frightening times.