A: Currently BHS has a 7-period day, however, students will need to pick alternate choices for electives, in case we are unable to schedule them for their first choice electives. Students should routinely select at least three alternates.

A: We make every effort to make sure that students are scheduled for all the courses they have selected, but unfortunately it is not possible for students to pick particular periods or semesters for courses or to select particular teachers.

A: Currently BHS uses an “embedded” lunch period that is shorter in duration than the instructional periods. Due to the complexity of this scheduling arrangement, students cannot select a lunch period, as it affects at least half of the instructional schedule. There is one exception, which involves scheduling students for particular lunches based on a medical need. Students with medical needs should present their counselors with a doctor’s note detailing the following:

1. Diagnosis, including any medications that are food dependent

2. Time required for lunch

Keep in mind that lunch changes, even for medical purposes, will necessarily change a student’s schedule, so it is VITAL that medical needs be communicated BEFORE scheduling takes place. Otherwise, students may lose an elective, have to change teachers, or have to change a course level in order to accommodate the lunch change.

A: Students can only select courses for which they have met the course prerequisites and/or have a teacher recommendation. Some courses require neither, but most courses require one, if not both. If students have met the prerequisites but need a teacher recommendation, it is the STUDENT’S responsbility to speak with the appropriate teacher and get the recommendation. If the teacher does not recommend a student for a particular course or level, in some instances students may have parents sign a waiver, although this is strongly discouraged. 

A: Yes, there is a “grace period” for level changes in courses until the end of the first marking period. However, changing levels is dependent upon whether there is space in the desired level or not. The master schedule is built on the students’ initial requests. Typically, there are not many spaces open in any courses after the schedule is set, so students are asked to very seriously consider the choices they make during scheduling. If there are no spaces available, students will have to remain in the level they chose initially. The longer a student waits to change a level, the less likely there will be spaces available to move into. Students wanting to change levels must email their counselors, who will determine if there is room in the desired level. If not, students will have to remain in the current level.

A: Yes, there is a window of time for schedule changes. Ideally, students will know their schedules before leaving at the end of the school year, and can request changes by email to counselors before school ends. Students can also email during the summer, however, they may not get a response from a counselor until September when school opens. However, the same issue occurs with course changes as level changes: there must be open seats to make the move. Electives in particular are often completely full once school opens, so changing electives can be very difficult to do. Students are again asked to take significant time to talk with their parents and counselors about elective choices, since it’s highly likely that a change might not be possible.

A: Under specific circumstances, students may be able to take courses for credit outside of BHS. There is a procedure that must be followed. Students must submit a request in writing to their counselors that details the school, course, number of credits, and the accreditation of the school. We can only accept credits from schools that are accredited by the State of NJ. Schools and online providers know this and usually make this information clear in their literature. If not, you may need to call and determine whether or not they are accredited and have the school provide the necessary information to you. Classes taken outside BHS do not count in a student’s GPA.

A: Senior privilege allows students to enter school at the end of first period, which means that students with this arrangement have one less opportunity to take a credit-bearing course. Students generally must have at least 100 credits entering into senior year, be on track to graduate, have passed required testing requirements, and have a clean disciplinary history. Students must conference with a counselor to decide if this is a wise choice in light of post-high school plans. Some colleges will not see Senior Privilege as a good choice. If a student meets the criteria and it does not impede on college planning, parents must sign a permission slip during the scheduling process to allow us to request it in the schedule.

A: BHS offers four different co-op programs for students to both receive credit and get work experience before leaving high school. This program requires each student to submit an application to the co-op coordinator, who then determines if the student is eligible and a good candidate for the program. Acceptance to the program is not guaranteed. Students do not request co-op when making course selections. They request a full schedule of courses, as usual, and later in the Spring when the application results are released, counselors will change student schedules for students accepted to the program to reflect the type of co-op appropriate for the student.

A: In a school the size of Bloomfield High School, it is inevitable that conflicts will arise between students, and, less often, between students and faculty members. BHS maintains the healthy attitude that problems are best solved by addressing them, rather than avoiding them. As such, we will not change schedules on the basis of personality conflicts. Students need to learn how to resolve conflicts and address problems that occur in a mature and responsible matter. To that end, we ask that the following series of steps be taken to address conflicts, rather than immediately going to the counselor and asking for a schedule change.

1. Students should always advocate for themselves first by meeting with the teacher directly to address the problem, whether it’s with other students or the teacher. In the vast majority of instances, this simple step resolves the problem.

2. If a teacher-student meeting is unproductive or not feasible, students should go to their counselors and request a meeting with the counselor and teacher. Counselors are able to moderate the meetings and provide a balanced perspective to most problems.

3. If the problem remains after meeting with the counselor, the parent should request a meeting with the teacher and subject supervisor (or school administrator if the supervisor is not available), and counselor. Preferably the student should attend the meeting, as well.

4. If the parent meeting fails to resolve the problem and the issue continues to disrupt normal student learning, the counselor should refer the case to a crisis counselor to determine the next level of action. The crisis counselor can recommend a range of solutions, starting at simply continuing the dialogue with the teacher and student, up through the most drastic solution of changing a schedule. If a schedule change is recommended, the crisis counselor will make this recommendation to a school administrator to approve.

Please note: if the situation presents itself as bullying or harassment, the school’s procedure for reporting bullying should be initiated right away, rather than continuing to follow the steps above. If in the initial teacher meeting the teacher believes that the student is a victim of bullying or harassment, the teacher has an obligation to immediately report it to the Dean of Discipline or a school administrator. The above procedure is for addressing isolated incidents or any incident that doesn’t rise to the level of bullying or harassment, as defined in New Jersey’s HIB laws.