Teacher skips town, fails me. School's response: We'll deal with it...eventually

Parents Forum
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<p>To those of you who don't know, I am currently on a gap year.</p>

<p>one of the biggest blemishes in my record is a C in chemistry from sophomore year. The story goes as follows:</p>

<p>At a top public school according to that silly AP ranking system (which I later transferred out of junior year), I had a B average the first three quarters.
My mom passed away mid to late in the third quarter. All of my teachers were understanding of this, and many said "don't worry about it" when it came to make up work.
For my chemistry teacher, I ended up making up several labs, and lots of homework. I did everything except for 1 or 2 assignments, because it was just overwhelming.
I also missed the midterm (don't remember why) earlier in the year, and the final, both of which I took over the summer.
Well, this teacher was moving to Texas the next year. So his solution? Don't grade any of my work. I failed third quarter.
Despite going in to take the midterm and final, I still haven't heard any word about my grade.</p>

<p>I have brought this up on numerous occasions to my former counselor at the school, and the vice principal. On a few occasions, they have flat out ignored me. They told me that this teacher's grade book is "closed" and private for legal reasons, but that they will get around to it...I am absolutely shocked and appalled that this is how one of the "top schools in the nation" has dealt with my problem this far. I am furious at how neglectful they have been, and have given up hope on my issue ever being corrected. Is there someone higher up I should be complaining to?</p>

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<p>I originally brought this up via email to my former counselor over 18 months ago. I went in to visit him, and discussed it with the vice principal, and gave him a follow up email months later. I just sent him another one too.</p>

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<p>The Superintendent is the head of a school district. If he/she isn’t interested in listening to you, perhaps they’d be interested in hearing from your lawyer. </p>

<p>Who administered the mid-term and final? The teacher who moved away, or someone else?</p>

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<p>Go level by level - start by contacting your chemistry teacher directly, then the head of the Science Department, then the principal, then the superintendent. Keep going until someone is able to fix this problem for you.</p>

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<p>HOw about this: you write a registered letter to the Principal and “cc” it to the School Superintendent, Vice-Principal and Counselor all at once, stating what happened and with whom you’ve spoken so far and WHEN, with what result so far. Kind of a fleshed-out version of what you put in post #1. Don’t make any accusations but state the case factually. </p>

<p>Then they’ll have to talk with each other to find out what happened, and deal with you on it somehow. Once one level knows the other has been alerted, they have to reply to you in some way, shape or form. </p>

<p>I chose the Principal as the recipient because so far you’ve talked to the Counselor and VP who are below that level. This gives the Principal the chance to repair the situation in his own building but he knows the Super is alerted so the Principal will actually DO it. </p>

<p>Rather than wait for an answer, end the letter by saying, “I will call in to your office in a week to get an update on the status of my problem.” That way you, not they, are in charge of when you can talk with them next.</p>

<p>PS, Since you said you “just sent” a follow-up to the VP, be sure to include mention of that in your letter. Give the school a chance to save face by answering through the VP. The Principal might even TELL the VP to be sure to DO IT because he knows if not you’ll be at his doorstep next. Superintendents just like to know what’s happening below them and that it’s getting handled.
But this way if the Principal ignores you, too, you can go right over to the Super. </p>

<p>Give everybody a week to reply at every level.</p>

<p>Keep the correspondence copies and don’t bother with a lawyer yet. You don’t need one yet, and hopefully won’t. Also make a log (in note form) to yourself and date it of all the verbal conversations you had, with whom and when. Hold onto it, just in case.</p>

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<p>If money is an issue, try legal aid. But make sure you have copies of ANY correspondance or documentation.</p>

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<p>3tuitions’s advice is excellent. u probably won’t ever have to deal with the legal system if u follow it. sorry for your loss–losing a parent is very hard.</p>

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<p>one of the biggest blemishes in my record is a C in chemistry from sophomore year. The story goes as follows:</p>

<p>Reed College rescinded your acceptance according to your previous posts- probably because of legal/substance issues (also according to your posts) and you seriously think one of your biggest problems is a C in chemistry from 10th grade?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/reed-college/919224-reed-rescindance.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/reed-college/919224-reed-rescindance.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I understand why you would want to put your mishaps behind you, but I don’t think that putting so much energy trying to change a grade from several years ago, is the best path to show colleges that you have matured.
;)</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice so far. For posterity I was also charged of mj possession on school grounds and suspended earlier in the quarter for 10 days. i didn’t include this in the OP because I dont want the thread to be derailed. my mom was severely bipolar fwiw. Talk about a tough year! Time heals all wounds.
I will send out another email but beyond that I just don’t care about this enough anymore. I still have a 3.5 UW and I feel like my situation “explains” my poor grades during sophomore year anyway. It’s just incredibly vexing how poorly my former school has responded to this situation. I wonder if they would act the same had I continued my education and graduated there?</p>

<p>Edit: Wow, big surprise, thread got derailed in the time it took me to type this post. emeraldkity, I understand your concern. Can we please leave it for another topic, though? I’ve been sober for over 5 months now…</p>

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<p>^^oh yes I meant to add my sympathies on the loss of your mother.</p>

<p>All you have to do is state that once near the top of the letter. No need to embellish; it speaks for itself.</p>

<p>There is never any need to vent to them about how they’re not acting like a top-ranked school and all that frustration.</p>

<p>Good luck and I hope the advice from this forum helps you know what to do next. My guess is that with a gap year you want this all resolved so you can apply to colleges next!! That’s timely, so that might also be worth noting in your letter (I need to get this resolved promptly now because…college ahead…etc.)</p>

<p>Gap year kids often get short shrift administratively; I’ve heard that here before. They’re paying attention to the current students so you have to remind them you count, too!</p>

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<p>Is your father involved at all in your educational issues? At this point, I think that going in to the principal, and then the superintendent, on this, with another adult or advocate, would be a good idea.</p>

<p>We have found that unusual situations, such as longish absences due to illness, or accommodations in terms of extensions on work, sometimes uncover a level of disorganization on the part of teachers, that can make both the teacher and the administration very defensive. In other words, it is quite likely that this teacher cannot grade you because he/she did not keep adequate track of what you did get done, and/or lost your work/exams. We have seen this very same situation, and usually the student gets blamed or punished when the teacher blames the student to cover up, and the administration supports the teacher.</p>

<p>This is probably why they are saying the grade book is closed and private. So be prepared for this scenario, and don’t take it personally. It is institutional behavior, geared to protecting the institution and those who work within it.</p>

<p>They may not be ABLE to provide grades, because they don’t exist. If the teacher lost work, or didn’t get them in the grade book, you could get them to give you a pass, without any effect on your GPA. and you could get them to write a note explaining that they were unable to grade you even though you did all the work, and did it well. A lawyer could help you with ideas on a solution if the situation is basically not easy to fix, for the school.</p>

<p>I do think this is an important issue of justice, and if you stick with it, it may benefit others. But don’t go it alone. Get an advocate, whether family or someone else you trust, a professional advocate, or a lawyer- if it seems you need it. Often, just meeting with a lawyer yourself ($150 or so/hour) can suffice, if you quote the lawyer when talking with the school. So you may be able to avoid paying a lawyer for meeting with the school.</p>

<p>A registered letter is a good idea, and say in the letter that you need this matter resolved by Nov. 1, in order to apply for colleges. Ask for specific grades that are missing, or that are below what you consider satisfactory. We know it is legal to get these: we have done it.</p>

<p>We know a chem. teacher who does this to kids (one student’s father murdered his girlfriend, and she missed some school…the teacher claimed she had not done a lot of work, but she said he had lost it, which is very plausible considering his reputation…the student ended up redoing ALL the work for the semester, unbelievable!).</p>

<p>You need to balance the institution’s clout with some of your own. With some help, you can be vaguely threatening (by sending a registered letter, or mentioning something a lawyer said, but with a smile- better done by an older adult) and things will change rapidly, believe me. </p>

<p>Do everything in writing. If things don’t start to work out, you can also ask to record meetings. Seriously.</p>

<p>With the baggage you have, it seems as if it would be worthwhile to pursue this, but don’t ruin your life over it. Just steady persistence to pursue whatever it is you deserve.</p>

<p>p.s.One of my parents died when I was mid-high school. A long time ago. The day my parent died, I told a teacher that I had not finished a paper. They told me that was okay, I could get it in the next day! I’d like to think things have changed, but…</p>

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<p>I am sorry for your loss and I hope that you are doing well in your recovery.</p>

<p>The reality is that it is highly unlikely that a grade, which is now 3 years old is going to be changed. The best opportunity for the grade change would have been fall term junior year. The school has the grade book because they are legally required to keep the books on file for a number of years. The best thing the administration can do is to work this through with the teacher.</p>

<p>In many cases, if the teacher who gave the original grade does not change the grade, usually, the grade does not get changed. The principal or superintendent cannot force a teacher to change a grade as it is immediate grounds for a grievance and some teachers have reported to the state education department. If the teacher does not change the grade the principal can override and change the grade.</p>

<p>When compounding the fact that the teacher is no longer there, it will be harder to get the grade change and the principal may be relucant to change the grade. No school administrator wants to remotely be part of anything that can be construed as grade manipulation so they say the grade cannot be changed. </p>

<p>I understand what you have gone through because I have been there; when I was in college and my father died thanksgiving weekend. I had an exam the following tuesday. The final grade in the course was based on 2 exams and a final. After I told the professor what happened, the professor told me in no uncertain terms that she did not give make-ups and if I did not come in to take the exam, that I would receive a “0” which would be calculated into my final grade. I went in an took the test.</p>

<p>I have sat in on many meetings with students and theri parents regarding a grade that they did not agree with and they felt was unjust. As harsh as this may sound, the teacher is fully with in their right to accept or not accept late missing work or to downgrade any late missing work they do accept. If the teacher gave you a failing grade for the 3rd marking period and a final grade of “C” over all it was a reasonably fair grade.</p>

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<p>Registered letters with return receipts to everyone - that means going to your post office, not merely sending emails. You will get the return receipt back with a signature on it indicating the person who received the letter, so you have hard evidence that the letter was received. No “Whoopsie, I must have accidentally deleted my email.” possible. </p>

<p>If you work your way up through the chain of command (giving each level an opportunity to deal with the issue), and you are still unhappy with the results after you have met in person with the superintendent, you could take it to the school board, and ultimately to your local press. But only approach the press if you have truly reached the end. That one can cause everything to blow up in your face.</p>

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<p>^I agree with happymom - take it to the board. Is there a teacher/adult on campus who will support you?</p>

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<p>I don’t see how trying to retoactively change a grade earned 3 years ago will be helpful for anyone. I think the school won’t be willing to change it, and I don’t think it will have a huge impact on college admissions anyway.</p>

<p>Since you’re on a gap year, colleges will be a little less interested in your high school transcript than before - because you now have a year of experience as a post-high school student. </p>

<p>I’d spend your time during your gap year to do some interesting things.</p>

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<p>Please look forward instead of backwards. It can be impossible for the school staff to reconstitute what happened three years ago (which may be why the staff are so silent). </p>

<p>Ever have a class on levels of resolution? To a bacteria, you are huger than huge. That’s one level of resolution. But, compared to the universe, your body is minute in size. You are hung up on one high school class that ended years ago. You are stuck at that place where high school grades matter. Guess what? High school grades don’t matter any more. </p>

<p>You may be putting together college applications now for next fall. Good. An admissions officer is going to be looking more at who you are NOW. It sounds like you have bigger troubles than that old C. You can address that old C with a simple sentence: you had a parent that died and that impacted your grades (no whining about mean teachers or idiot administrators). Then briskly move on to what’s going on with you right now. </p>

<p>If you did crash off the Reed path, then emeraldkity is absolutely correct. You have to demonstrate maturity for an admissions office to take a chance on you. That may mean taking some baby steps – like enrolling in a community college and showing up for every class and making A+ in every topic. Or working a job and working it so hard that it is easy for the boss to write a glowing letter of reference. </p>

<p>Don’t expect anyone, anywhere to see beyond your troubles to the fabulous inner you . Times are tough and there a lots of teens out there who are busting their butts to shine. There is no need to go looking for diamonds in the rough when polished diamonds are showing up in the in box. </p>

<p>That said, all is not lost. There is no doubt that you’ve learned a lot about yourself and you clearly value education. Shake off the ancient C and get to work showing the world your best – via a job, a few smaller courses, or a volunteer stint.</p>

<p>We have one friend who de railed his senior year in high school. He spent a year couch surfing and looking for menial labor. It was a very lonely year. No car, no cash and not much respect from family or friends. He traveled to a small, tier 4 college and went in and introduced himself to a professor in the math department. He described and “owned” his stupid actions and said he was dying to get back to school. The prof helped him get enrolled – and he’s been gaining ground every day since then. </p>

<p>It took a year of misery for the young man to find a measure of humility. Up until then he was so sure that the world would recognize his genius and give him a chance. Now he’s earning his chance – Enrolled at Tier 4 and rising. Good luck.</p>

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<p>Your point is well taken olymom. I’m not stressing it too much. Perhaps there is something to be said for receiving justice though? Haha I like your suggestions, as I am working a job, doing a volunteer stint, and taking a few online courses…definitely trying to earn my chance. thanks for your post, I can tell you put a lot of thought and care into it</p>