More than three-thousand people have signed an online petition, calling for a north-central Iowa high school senior to be allowed to cross the stage for graduation.
The South Hardin School District refused to accept Jaidyn Teske as a graduate due to a technicality with her freshman year homeschool credits, according to a petition made by her older brother.
Dr. Adam Sellmer, the district’s superintendent, referred to the requirements needed in order to graduate high school at South Hardin. After a petition was circulated in support of Teske, community members questioned why she can’t walk at graduation.
Sellmer noted that every year there are students who do not meet the district’s graduation requirements for a variety of reasons. While those students are not allowed to participate in the actual commencement ceremony, the district still makes every effort to recognize them in different ways throughout their senior year.
As far as how colleges handle the process of accepting applicants with outside credits compared to high schools, Sellmer noted its two different sets of requrements.
Teske is set to play volleyball at Northwestern College in Orange City this fall.
(Brent Wiethorn, KFJB, Marshalltown)