Computer Glitch Denies N. Austin Student Of Valedictorian Honors

NORTH AUSTIN, TX — A mathematical glitch at Austin ISD in calculating her grade point average denied a student the ceremonial honors of valedictorian status at John H. Reagan High School — where she graduated at the top of her class as the district's only black valedictorian this year.

According to a report by the Austin American-Statesman, a strong work ethic that guided Naomi Lands through her high school tenure — studying every night until the wee hurs of the morning, working through lunch to get her assignments and class projects done and eschewing extracurricular activities in lieu of keeping her nose to the grindstone — propelled her to the top of her 2018 Reagan High School class.

But a programming error weighted one of the student's advanced courses incorrectly, yielding a lower GPA and the second ranking, according to the report. School officials later corrected the error, retroactively bestowing Lands with the top rank in her class.

Yet the correction came too late for Lands, 17, to enjoy the trappings of valedictorian status — the attendant fanfare, the rousing speech to her peers, the applause and public celebration of her singular achievement.

To make amends, district officials arrived at a multi-layered compromise even while deciding not to strip the No. 2 student of valedictorian status: Officials deemed both to be valedictorians and award both two semesters of free tuition at a Texas public college. Lands had planned to attend college out of state for architectural engineering training, according to the report, but now is considering Texas Tech University given the offer of free tuition.

While her parents expressed some measure of sadness their academic prodigy was inadvertently stripped of valedictorian honors due to the math glitch, Lands herself is more reflective, with a thoughtful perspective belying her youth but befitting of a scholar: “I was sad I didn’t get valedictorian, but I was happy to be in the top three and be up on stage,” Lands told the Statesman.

For their part, district officials have expressed contrition: "We have apologized to the families affected and have recognized both students as co-valedictorian, as well as identified a scholarship solution that holds each student harmless,” Reyne Telles, executive director of communications at the district, said in a prepared statement. “An extensive review of student records found that this was a unique and isolated case and no other students or schools were affected.”

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

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