Many would agree that York High School is a very competitive and athletic school despite being one of the smallest Nebraska Class B Schools.  Unfortunately, we are not able to support our teams to the fullest. Let me elaborate; this school year (2021-2022) York got into the playoffs for football. All students were let out of school early, and no absences were counted on any student records. All students were free to either go support our team at state or just go home. The thing many students are concerned about is why we aren't getting let out for Girls State Basketball? What I mean by "getting let out" is that if students (who were not playing in the game or in the band) wanted to go to the game, that absence would be counted against them. This isn't the first girls state to go "unnoticed". This same year, our volleyball team also qualified for state, and students were still not allowed to go support them. York's students are dedicated, and we should be able to show our school, players, and town just how much these opportunities to support each other mean to us, without having to take an absence. 

Our Principal, Jason Heitz sent out an email that said we will not be getting let out of school for Girls State Basketball, without acquiring an absence. Many students agree that this is upsetting, and do not wish to have an absence marked against them for supporting their team. You may be thinking, " Students might use this opportunity to get out of class". However, if you have ever been to a York game, you will see that our students truly care about our team. On Friday (2/25) we had our girls district finals game, and our students section was filled to the brim with students and support. When we won our hard fought game, our whole student section huddled onto the court with our players, overwhelmed with pure elation. 

We wish to give our girls the support they deserve, without the consequence of an unreasonable, unexcused absence. We also want to understand the guidelines and/or rules about this, and why we aren't able to go. Thank you for giving time and consideration for reading about my, and my fellow peers', concern. Let's prove that we care, Go Dukes.