THS to reduce science graduation requirements

Tehachapi Unified School District (TUSD) voted at their February board meeting to lower the science graduation requirements for students at Tehachapi High School (THS) from three years to two. Students will instead be able to choose an elective suited to their interests, be it science or otherwise. The change came about when people realized that both California state standards and UC/Cal State university "A-G" course requirements dictate only two years of science are needed.

The science course requirement reduction was a point of contention in the boardroom, as district science teachers and board Vice President Kelly voiced concerns over taking away from valuable learning opportunities. Other board members pointed out, however, that many high school students will never attend university, whether in favor of trade school or otherwise, and by reducing the science requirements these students have both a choice to pursue a subject that interests them and an overall better chance of graduating high school. In the end, this change won't affect students' ability to get into universities straight out of high school, but some are worried about the information that students will now miss from the extra science course.

Also discussed at the meeting was the basketball game held at THS on Jan. 30. The game consisted of THS's unified basketball teams playing each other. A unified team includes students both with and without disabilities, playing together to learn the game and practice inclusion. THS has held its status as a Southern California Special Olympics Unified Championship School since 2019, meaning intentionally planned and implemented programs are in place to continually support the social inclusion of special education students.

Lastly, the board moved at the meeting to purchase an 8.44 acre parcel of land next to Tompkins Elementary for nearly $500,000 with plans to expand the elementary school.