Valedictorian told 'you did not graduate'

CHARLOTTE, N.C - Almost a dozen students from Garinger High began summer school this past week due to an administrative oversight that left their diplomas invalid...

CHARLOTTE, N.C – Almost a dozen students from Garinger High began summer school this past week due to an administrative oversight that left their diplomas invalid.

Garinger High was recently split into five smaller schools. The guidance counselor at the Leadership and Public Service school left in May, and soon after the district looked into whether all the departing seniors had the required credits to graduate.

It turns out that 11 students did not have the required credits. Karen Thomas, who oversees all guidance counselors within the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School district, told WCNC Charlotte, “What should have happened did not happen. This was an unfortunate incident for every student that was involved. This is not the way we want to do business in CMS.”

Surprisingly the principle of the Leadership and Public Service school did not do anything to help the students. Instead, the principle simply resigned.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH WCNC CHARLOTTE’S INTERVIEW WITH KAREN THOMAS

It wasn’t until summer school began this week that some students were informed that they had not graduated, despite having walked and received their diplomas at the official ceremony. Perhaps most upsetting about this administrative goof is that the valedictorian was among the unlucky 11. She will now lose her status as first in the class.

“We will have to look at where the rankings are for all of the students,” Thomas told WCNC Charlotte. “The valedictorian is the number one student in the class of graduates at the time.”

CMS directors have specialized plans for each of the 11 students to complete the required credits, although nothing can be done to help the valedictorian maintain her status.

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