Reality check- it doesn’t matter if your kid is so outstanding in some other area that the Adcom’s agree that this is a “must admit”- his original concerto is debuting at Carnegie Hall once Covid is over; a recruitable athlete with sky high scores and grades; a published novel.
OP- if this is your kid, relax. No single “missing” element on the transcript is going to matter much.
If this is not your kid- you guys need to focus. The point is not to check off boxes on a list- the point is to show a rigorous, academic preparation for college level work, meaning don’t start cutting corners (miss junior year language to “prove”" something-- since a kid skipping a year generally means losing proficiency.