Failed a high school senior right before graduation and don't regret it.

I taught a history class once. There was one student athlete in my class, kind of like a jock, who was even in our school papers. I never knew him that well because he never showed up to my class, even on the first day. After the midterm, I warned him that I was prepared to fail him if he continued to not show up or turn in any work.

He then sent me an email 3 weeks before the end of the semester, claiming that he had been unable to attend most of his classes because his family is high risk for COVID, and needed to help them.

I simply replied to him that, while that might all be true, but it begs the question as to why you chose not to communicate your situation with me earlier, only after I reached out to you. You should have been proactive and told me this the moment you enrolled. You knew what the course expectations were because the syllabus clearly states them online.

I told him plainly that he would not pass and be unable to graduate. It would've been unfair to the other students, who had been active in the course, to allow him to get credit when he didn't do anything. No student is more important than the teacher, and none are entitled to special treatment.