A high school located in the Lone Star State — Texas — has decided to postpone its graduation ceremony after a large percentage of the class failed to actually earn a diploma. This is a sad commentary on the state of education in the United States.
According to The New York Post, only five of the classes 33 students attending Marlin High School, located near Waco, Texas, met the requirements necessary for commencement due to issues with grades or attendance.
The school stated that it was rescheduling the graduation for a day in June so students would have additional time to earn a diploma, according to an announcement made on Facebook.
“Our commitment to excellence remains unshaken,” Superintendent Darryl Henson went on to say in the statement. “We hold firm to our belief that every student in Marlin ISD can and will achieve their potential.”
Henderson then got on social media platform Twitter and addressed the school’s horrible graduation rate.
“Our district will grow from this setback,” Henson reassured his followers.
“Let this be a lesson learned for all. As we continue to go through our annual graduation audit, it’s our obligation to ensure that all students have met all requirements. Support, accountability, & integrity will remain at the forefront,” he continued.
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With absences being one of the primary issues that led to the school’s problems with its graduation rate, they decided to switch over to four-day weeks to boost student attendance.
“Our shift to a four-day school week is part of our effort to increase bell-to-bell instruction, increase student engagement during days school is in session, and keep absences from infringing on instructional time,” Nikisha Edwards, Chief Academic Officer, exoplainedin the school’s statement.
“We are committed to ensuring these strategic shifts benefit students as intended,” Edwards concluded.
Featured image is a screenshot from the video embedded above.