While most high school accomplishments are local, senior Catherine Zhang’s achievements have spread to the state level. Zhang has her own bill, which was introduced in the Texas House of Representatives in late February.

The idea for the bill came after the Plano Independent School District (PISD) changed its district-wide final exam exemption policy. Previously, PISD students who qualified for the exemption were able to check into class on the day of the final exam, and then leave during the exam’s administration. Now, students must stay in their classrooms for the entire duration of the exam period. Freshmen, sophomores and juniors who qualify for Advanced Placement (AP) exemption must take their final exams, but may have their scores waived.

“A lot of students were incredibly angry about the changes to the exemption policy,” Zhang said. “This is one of the first times we really noticed the impact of a decision made by the school board.”

Zhang went to Plano ISD Board of Trustees member Carrolyn Moebius to understand why the changes took place.

“State funding to local school districts is tied to student attendance,” Zhang said. “When students don’t show up during finals week, the district is at risk of losing huge amounts in state funding. I was told by a school board member that we could potentially lose half a million dollars by excusing students from school during finals.”

Time spent during the final exams could be used for college visits, going to work or studying for other final exams.

“Instead, students are forced to sit through countless hours of tests that cover material they have already been tested over,” Zhang said. “Teachers are expected to be babysitters. Students who actually need to take their finals now have to deal with hoards of their restless classmates distracting them. And this is all because our current laws penalize our school district for implementing solutions that work for us. That doesn’t make sense to me at all. This bill changes that.”

Zhang’s bill would allow school districts to excuse students from attending school during the administration of a final exam without this risk of losing money from the state. Put more simply, if the bill becomes state law, PISD can allow exempt students not to attend school during finals week. For Zhang, the bill is more than just final exam exemptions.

“So many young people believe that they can’t do anything about the problems they see,” Zhang said. “They automatically shut themselves down, thinking about all the ways they could fail. This bill, in some ways, is my way of proving that an average seventeen year-old has the power to create change. We have the capability to do anything we set our minds to.”

The bill was referred to the House Public Education Committee in early March. But in order for the bill to make in impact, it must make its way out of committee, and then must be passed by the House and the Senate. In order for the bill to apply to this year’s seniors, two-thirds of legislators in the House and Senate must vote for it.

“Write emails to your legislators,” Zhang said. “Tell your parents about it. This is your opportunity to make a difference.”