COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Disabled students in South Carolina could have the chance to get job training and a high school diploma instead of what frustrated parents and advocates call a "seat-warmer certificate," which merely acknowledges they attended school.

The proposed "modified diploma" is being applauded by advocates. It's meant for students who, because of their disability, can't pass the high school exit exam and earn the necessary 24 credits required for a South Carolina diploma. It's geared, for example, for students with autism, Down syndrome, and other intellectual or severe emotional disabilities.

Currently, their only option from the state - no matter how long they stay in school or how close they come to reaching diploma standards - is the "certificate of attendance."

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