Grade floor ban
A new South Carolina law bans public schools from having a grade floor.
A grade floor means there is a minimum grade a student can earn in a class. For example, a school's grade floor could be a 60% rather than a 0%. Under the new law, public schools must give students the grade they earned, even if it's a zero.
Supporters of the legislation say removing the grade floor is a way to accurately track student success. Those critical of it say the ban poses a risk for struggling students to recover their grades.
School districts that continue using grade floors could lose some of their state funding.
Vaccinations
The State Department of Public Health (DPH) has new vaccine requirements for students.
High school seniors must have two doses of the varicella vaccine, which protects against chickenpox.
DPH reports students who have had chickenpox before and are immune to the disease do not have to get the vaccine.
Sixth-graders are now required to have two doses of the hepatitis A vaccine.
Officials report the required vaccinations cover a dozen diseases.
