BY PATRICK LAIR
LEBANON - High school senior Devin Van Hoosen has had a bumpy time trying to get the classes she needs, and her family wonders if there are others in the same boat.
Van Hoosen is is enrolled in the Social Systems Academy at Lebanon High School.
She's been moved on and off the roster of a requisite class a couple of times during the first three weeks of school, and her family feels that scheduling shouldn't be this complicated.
"My daughter is so stressed out. Her grades are important to her," said Crystal Van Hoosen, Devin's mother. "I don't know why it has to be so stressful."
The family has never had a scheduling problem before, she said.
According to Crystal Van Hoosen, this is what happened:
Devin took a placement test last year and was accepted into a program called Beyond LHS, in which students take classes through Linn-Benton Community College.
She didn't receive orientation information, missed fall orientation and was told she has to take the LBCC courses in the winter.
This fall, she needs to take economics to graduate and Advanced Placement biology to pursue her plans for college.
Economics is offered second and fourth periods and AP Biology is offered fourth period.
The problem, she said, is that the economics course during second period is full.
For the first week and a half, Devin had no second period class, going home instead and returning for the rest of her day, according to school policy.
She was given the option of taking the course online through LBCC at a cost of around $120.
"Since she needs this class to graduate, I don't think we should have to pay extra for it," Crystal Van Hoosen said.
A week ago Tuesday, Devin was admitted to the LHS class and given a space to sit at the teacher's desk because the classroom was so full, she said.
Devin made up the homework assignments she'd missed.
The following Thursday, seven school days later, she was told to leave the class because her name no longer appeared on the roster.
The following day she was told by the school that she could return to the class as long as the instructor consented.
On Friday, she said she's back in the class.
Lebanon High School Principal Mark Finch said he wasn't aware of the particulars of Devin Van Hoosen's case but he doesn't feel that LHS classes are overly crowded.
The classes are scheduled the year before based on a projection of the following year's needs, he said.