Push for a co-valedictorian spurs suit

Philadelphia Daily News ^ | 05/02/2003 | JIM NOLAN

[frossca]

Another unintended consequence of government regulation (ADA)?

[netmilsmom]

Any of the other students could have taken their own time to do extra studies and get her grades. Says something for Homeschooling doesn't it?

[D. Brian Carter]

What a bunch of cry-babies our nation has become...

[HamiltonJay]

She has the best grades she gets the honor, period. This school district and its administrators should be strung up for this share the spotlight nonsense.

[TommyDale]

"What a bunch of cry-babies our nation has become..."

What a bunch of jerks school administrators have become!

[ContemptofCourt]

What a bunch of cry-babies our nation has become...

I agree, the other kids parents should shut the hell up and recognize what this girl did. The fact that the school board is now trying to belittle her achievements is ridiculous. If they really think that her AP A+ grades were unearned, then they should have dealt with that issue beforehand.

Although with a 1570 SAT, I imagine she can go to any college she wants regardless.

[Sloth]

"The intent of the Board is not to deprive the Plaintiff of any recognition which is deserved, but rather, to recognize all students who have excelled academically," the attorneys argued.

Isn't that what salutatorian & honors graduate designations are for?

[doc30]

"The intent of the Board is not to deprive the Plaintiff of any recognition which is deserved, but rather, to recognize all students who have excelled academically," the attorneys argued.

Until the socialistist attitude that all students must be honored in an equivalent fashion is purged from educators, more and more of this anti-success, share-the-rewards and where high-achievement is frowned upon will fester in schools across the country. It reinforces mediocraty (sp?) and dilutes the potential of our children.

[SouthernFreebird]

I agree with you.

[Jim Noble]

>>She suffers from an immune-system disorder similar to chronic fatigue syndrome, which made it impossible for her to attend most of her classes at the school<<

Which I assume accounts for her success...

[Lil'freeper]

The complaint the young lady brought before the court is reasonable enough, however asking $2.7 mil in damages is anything but reasonable. Sue for the injunction, fine, but let the ruling be the center of attention. The money overshadows any principled stand she is trying to make.

[TommyDale]

Yep. School administrators and teachers' unions just can't stand to see a home-schooled child succeed.

[CharacterCounts]

Frankly, I see their point, and I'm a homeschooling mom

I see her point, also. However, the matter does not warrant the filing of a federal lawsuit.

I will bet dollars to doughnuts she is a liberal in her political beliefs.

[TheBattman]

Specifically, Hornstine's ability to structure her own schedule allowed her to take more advanced- placement classes than students who had to attend school at Moorestown High, where some AP courses were taught at conflicting times in the school day. AP courses are assigned a greater weight than honors or standard courses in the determination of grade-point average, which determines class rank.

Sounds to me like the other students were discriminated against - where is their equal access? What amazes me is that this student was given a great deal of special treatment in her course offerings, her educational planning, and through the "special education" program, yet was able to take AP courses? I am a bit confused. It sounds as if she was able to do the work, as she did more than the other students, yet she also was allowed to work at her own pace, in her own home, on coursework not available to other students.

As a side note - and not necessarily related directly to this case -

Legally, a special education student cannot fail a course unless they do ZERO work. That's right - if they turn in a paper with nearly random sludge for answers - getting 100% wrong, they still must pass. ANY effort at all is considered passing. We have one special Education student where I teach that will not graduate this year because he has done ZERO work in most of his courses this year and has had a problem with attendance.

The ADA and other regulations pertaining to education have gotten way out of control. I have seen students who receive A's and B's in subjects that they cannot do - B in Algebra, yet cannot add numbers higher than 10+10 ----is this fair to other students? How about the student who gets an A in English - a course that requires reading and writing skills to succeed in, yet the student cannot write a single organized or coherent sentence?

[widowithfoursons]

LOL. Yeah, it's pretty lame when you don't show up, and outrank all the other students. Frankly, she would do better to refuse the "honor". BTW, if she was there for nine years it must be a private school.

[Alberta's Child]

The school board filing questions Blair Hornstine's A-plus achievement in six of the seven AP courses she took at home.

This would be easy to look into -- what grades did she get on the AP exams (which are standardized tests)?

[Monti Cello]

the same advanced curriculum as other students, but at home - gave her an unfair advantage

Bwa ha ha ha! These administrators have stepped in it here. Nice that they're big enough to admit the detrimental impact of actually attending their school.

[Alberta's Child]

Specifically, Hornstine's ability to structure her own schedule allowed her to take more advanced- placement classes than students who had to attend school at Moorestown High, where some AP courses were taught at conflicting times in the school day.

I overlooked this little item the first time I read the article. If I was one of the top students in this class I think I'd have a legitimate gripe about naming her the valedictorian.

Also, I wonder how someone with an immune system disorder who couldn't attend her classes managed to sit through the SAT exam. Or was that administered at home, too?

[Iconoclast2]

There's much more here than meets the eye, including, perhaps, special accommodations on the "standardized" tests. I suspect that the parents of the other students are properly outraged at a child of privilege and power, given special advantages (nine years to master four years worth of curriculum?), and that this is their way of taking a stand against the abuse of that power and privilege. But you'd have to dig deeper than this article to know for sure.