US: Texas high school postpones graduation after majority of students fail

In what comes as a bizarre incident, a high school in the US state of Texas postponed its graduation after the majority of the senior class failed to earn their diplomas, according to a NY Post report.

Twenty-eightstudents of Marlin High School situated in Waco, Texas failed to clear the class owing to low attendance and bad academic performance. Cumulatively, only five of 33 students managed to meet the requirements set for commencement.

The school released a statement saying it had rescheduled the graduation for sometime in June so students would have more time to qualify.

"Marlin High School has announced that high school graduation will be rescheduled for June. The decision by the high school to postpone graduation will provide more time for students to meet necessary requirements for graduation, many of whom did not meet requirements due to attendance or grades," read the Facebook post by the school.

School holds parent-teacher meeting

The school held a mandatory parent-teacher meeting on May 24 to discuss the future of the kids and chart a path for them to graduate without any other major hiccups. However, the parents protested against the school saying their children were told they were on track to graduate, only to be told otherwise.

Meanwhile, school Superintendent Darryl Henson said he was confident that his students will be able to graduate and fulfil their potential.

“Our commitment to excellence remains unshaken. We hold firm to our belief that every student in Marlin ISD can and will achieve their potential," said Henson.

“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 added.

17 students have qualified now

In an attempt to increase attendance at the school, the authorities had recently moved to a four-day school week.

"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," said Nikisha Edwards, the chief academic officer.

Notably, after the first list where only 15 per cent of the class was eligible for graduation, several additional students have now met the standards, according to a DailyMail report.

As of the last update, 17 students out of 38, still less than half, had managed to graduate. The authorities maintained that the rest of the class will soon catch up.

(With inputs from agencies)

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