A Dozen Students Get Sent Back To Middle School Over Grade Mishap

Twelve students who were set to start their freshman year at an Alabama high school found out that they must go back to middle school after officials noticed issues with their grades when they were assigning them to their classes in the fall.

The 12 students were enrolled in an online program offered by Bessemer City Schools to help them earn credits for classes they had failed. The goal of the program was to allow the struggling students to earn enough credits so they could advance to high school with the rest of their peers. 

Unfortunately for the students, the program was never approved by the board of education and officials could not find documentation that showed the children, who were 13 and 14 years old, had met the requirements to advance to the next grade.

Superintendent Dr. Keith A. Stewart explained the situation in a letter to parents, according to WBCR

“To be promoted from the eighth grade to the ninth, students must pass their English, Math, Science and Social Studies classes during the school year or during summer school,” Stewart said in the letter. “I know this decision is disappointing to you and your child but as the chief instructional leader of the district, I have a duty to ensure every child has an opportunity to be successful academically.”

Stewart said that he had to act because if he allowed them to advance to high school, he "would be setting them up for failure."

Photo: Getty Images


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