Gamer Risks Junior Year If Trip to Poland Happens

VILLAS – A teen who has a chance of winning $150,000 at a worldwide gaming tournament also has a chance to lose his junior year of school credits because of too many absences.
Fellow student John Knecht has started a petition to the Lower Cape May Regional School District superintendent to allow “Ian (Taylor) to go to Poland and not be penalized.”
Taylor, 17, is part of a team of gamers who will be traveling to Warsaw, Poland, in April to compete in the World of Tanks Grand Finals. The prize pool is $320,000, with first place $150,000.
“While I understand the law is the law,” Taylor’s mother, Debra Skain, said, “these are special circumstances. I know that gaming is not widely accepted yet, but this is a step on the ladder to a career that could be in building computers, building games, broadcasting the games or a lot of other things.”
Skain said school policy allows 12 absences from school “without repercussions.” With the planned trip to Poland, Taylor will miss four or five days of school, bringing his total to 16 for the year.
“Some days he was absent because of being sick,” she noted, “but these trips were unforeseen.” She was referring to another absence in February when Taylor traveled to Las Vegas to compete in the Wargaming.net League North America Tournament. His team took first place there, winning $75,000 and a chance to compete in Poland.
World of Tanks is a multi-player, online game featuring early to mid-20th Century-era fighting vehicles. Taylor had said previously that the game requires “a lot of strategy while learning about World War II history from the maps and cities where the game takes place.”
A game can last up to eight minutes, and success depends on how well the team plays on the battlefield rather than how individuals perform.
World of Tanks debuted as an eSports game at the World Cyber Games 2012.
“I think the student who started the petition has good intentions,” Skain said, “but I also don’t want this to adversely affect Ian.”
She planned to alert the superintendent and school principal about the petition which is on social media. 
Skain said she has contacted the teachers, principal and some board members to ask if those days could be excused as educational days. “I received a letter from the principal stating that, by law, they could not excuse those days for ‘arbitrary’ requests and that I am to contact the vice principal in June to work out any possible credit restoration,” she explained. “Ian could lose all credits earned this year due to days absent.”
Skain said the vice principal has several options available including giving her son credit for the year and summer school. “I appreciate the law is the law, but maybe New Jersey and the board needs to take another look at this law to consider updating it.”
Taylor is carrying a “B to C average now, but he is taking advanced classes,” according to his mom. “He always was an A student, and while a B to C is not great with me, he’s doing well considering all that he is doing.”
Skain said her son makes up any missed school work and that his teachers have been willing to work with him.
“Ian is going on the trip,” she noted, “and I will meet with the vice principal in June. I hope he won’t lose his junior year.”
School Policy
Principal Larry Ziemba referred an inquiry to the student handbook regarding attendance:
LOSS OF CREDIT
1. Pupils missing over 12 school days for a yearlong course, six school days for a semester course, will not receive credit for said courses. THIS WILL PROHIBIT SENIORS FROM GRADUATION, AND UNDERCLASSMEN FROM RECEIVING ACADEMIC CREDIT. The absences and loss of credit will be calculated on a daily basis.
 
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.