A teacher at a school in the New York City borough of Queens explained in an interview with the New York Post that she passed a senior who deserved to fail because of the โtremendous amount of pressureโ to just graduate kids.
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Andrea McHale, an instructor at William Cullen Bryant High School, admitted to passing Melissa Mejia after the Post published an essay written by the teen in which she complained about getting a passing grade in McHaleโs government class even though she barely showed up, didnโt hand in homework and missed her final. She was ultimately allowed to graduate with a passing grade of 65.
โIt was not an ideal situation,โ McHale told the Post. โIf we donโt meet our academic goals, we are deemed failures as teachers. There is a tremendous amount of pressure on us as teachers.
โI thought it was in her best interest and the schoolโs best interest to pass her,โ the teacher said.
Mejia said in her Post essay that she felt as if New York City had given her a diploma she didnโt deserve.
McHale explained that Mejia passed her state Regents exams and did well in history exams, and there was a policy that students should pass the class if they pass the Regents.
โHer attendance was extremely poor, but she was a very intelligent student,โ McHale said. โThere is a fairly consistent policy that if they pass their Regents, it is strongly suggested that they pass in the class,โ the teacher said, adding that passing the exams โsuggests some kind of readiness for college.โ
According to McHale, her bosses were in the know about the situation. โI did bring it to the attention of my supervisor, the assistant principal,โ McHale said. ย
Read more at the New York Post.
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