Department Policies

Course requests play a crucial role in building the master schedule. As such, unnecessary schedule changes are not possible, and schedule corrections will only be considered for the following specific reasons.

Permitted Reasons for Schedule Changes:

1. Schedule Gaps: You have a period in which no class is currently scheduled.
2. Insufficient Course Load: You need more courses to meet academic requirements. Students must be enrolled in SIX courses each semester (or FIVE for seniors who are on track to graduate). All senior student-athletes are strongly recommended to be in SIX courses to maintain athletic eligibility.
3. Graduation Requirement: You need to add a course that is necessary for graduation or to fulfill essential academic goals. 
4. College Credit Plus (CCP): You require an adjustment to accommodate college-level courses.
5. Replaced Study Hall: You wish to replace a study hall with an available course to maximize your learning opportunities.

PLEASE NOTE: Unnecessary requests, such as preferences for specific teachers, the desire to be with friends, changing classes to arrive late/leave early, or changing your lunch period will NOT be accommodated.

All requests to add or drop a course must be submitted to your school counselor within the first 20 days of the semester.

If a student requests to drop a course after the 20-day deadline, a WF (Withdrawal/Fail) will be recorded on their official high school transcript. It is critical to commit to your course schedule early in the semester to avoid this consequence. 

Full-Time Enrollment at Eastland/Fairfield Career Center

Due to the challenges students face in balancing rigorous academic requirements, necessary lab time, and required travel between campuses, we are transitioning to a mandatory full-time enrollment policy for all students attending EFCTS.

Effective with the Class of 2028, students will no longer have the option to attend the Career Center for only a half-day. 

This change ensures that students have a consistent, full daily schedule at one campus, guaranteeing that they can successfully complete their required labs and academic coursework. This policy puts our top priorities—student safety and academic success—first. Remember, full-time EFCTS students are still Canal Winchester High School students and are fully eligible to participate in all school events, extracurricular activities, clubs, and dances.

Transferring Back to CWHS

Students are expected to fulfill the requirements and expectations set by both Canal Winchester High School and the Eastland/Fairfield Career Centers. Students are encouraged to carefully consider their decision to enroll at EFCTS prior to attending. Any changes in enrollment status must be communicated to counselors promptly, and once enrolled in the career center, students cannot return to CWHS until after the completion of the first semester. This ensures minimal disruption to education and allows for a smoother transition back to CWHS if necessary.

Students who have earned credit in a course with a grade of “D” or lower may retake the course for the opportunity to improve the grade. This is especially encouraged in situations where a grade of “C” or higher is necessary in order to advance in a developmental sequence. Both course experiences and grades will be recorded on the transcript, but only the second grade, whether higher or lower, will be calculated into a student's cumulative grade point average.

Students enrolled in a class under the grade improvement policy must adhere to the same deadlines for adding or dropping the repeated course as are established for all other classes with the same penalties for noncompliance. Courses repeated must be taken in sequence (ex: a student who has successfully completed Algebra 2 cannot repeat Algebra 1 under this policy). This will only apply to courses taken in person during the regular school year. This cannot be applied to summer school, credit recovery or other online courses.  

Students retaking College Credit Plus courses must follow the policy of the college or university where the course is being offered at. However, this paperwork must still be used for record keeping purposes.

If you are interested in retaking a course for grade replacement purposes, please see your school counselor.

End of Junior Year

Students interested in graduating at the end of their Junior year must schedule a required meeting with their school counselor by May 15th of their Sophomore year to confirm eligibility and plan credit completion. Please be aware that this accelerated academic path often requires taking and paying for outside courses, as the school does not provide additional online classes for this purpose. Choosing this option means forgoing your traditional senior year, and as a result, you may not be eligible for certain senior-specific activities, privileges, and honors that are exclusive to full four-year graduates. 

Middle of Senior Year

Seniors desiring to graduate mid-year (at the end of the first semester) must initiate the process by contacting their School Counselor or Assistant Principal no later than the first Monday in August of their senior year to request the necessary paperwork, which the counselor will then submit to the high school principal for final approval. All mid-year applicants must meet state graduation requirements.