What IF school officials require a retention meeting?

It is unlikely this will happen, but here are some guidelines if your child is in grades 3, 5, or 8:

• Demand the retention meeting be immediate to ensure the child’s teacher(s) are present
• If a retention meeting is scheduled, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO APPEAL and can highlight the following points (you can also inform all parties involved and record the meeting)

• If your school district has a SWSS waiver: highlight that these waivers were designed to give schools flexibility with retention and promotion
• Request the school to look at the student’s work and grades for the year (excluding standardized tests like MAP, etc.)
• Research proves that retention is damaging to children socially and does not benefit high school attainment
• GaDOE’s Garry McGiboney has stated that it is not the policy of GaDOE to retain on the basis of one test