Students given options for fulfilling missing graduation requirement

A letter was sent Friday to parents of former Leavitt Middle School students outlining additional options — such as passing a test — for how their children could earn the half credit they need for high school graduation.

The half credit is needed for a computer literacy class the students previously took but was inaccurately applied toward graduation requirements.

Deputy Superintendent Brenda Larsen-Mitchell wrote in the letter that the Clark County School District communicated with the Nevada Department of Education on Oct. 25 and received a response Nov. 22 with additional options for students to earn the one-half high school credit.

The district provided a copy of the letter to the Las Vegas Review-Journal but hasn’t addressed questions about how many students are affected or when the issue was identified.

As a result of the information from the state, the district will implement two more options for students, including “credit by examination” and an additional course. Families won’t have to pay for either.

Both require enrollment through Nevada Learning Academy at CCSD — the district’s online school — and that will be facilitated by a student’s school counselor, Larsen-Mitchell wrote.

The exam option will be available beginning next week. Nevada Learning Academy will schedule specific dates — including afternoons and Saturdays — to accommodate students, Larsen-Mitchell wrote.

But she said the “credit by examination” option isn’t approved by the NCAA and “may impact athletic scholarships and eligibility.”

For students who take the additional course, it will be available beginning the week of Dec. 12.

Parents of affected students told the Las Vegas Review-Journal last month that their children were being treated unfairly for something that wasn’t their fault.

Centennial High School Principal Keith Wipperman was principal at Leavitt Middle School when the students took the class.

He apologized in a letter last month to families and included information about options to earn the half-credit, including a semester-long class at their high school or taking it during summer school or online.

Earlier this year, Wipperman was removed as Centennial’s principal but was reinstated following outcry from students and parents to the School Board. The district didn’t provide a reason for why he was removed.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.