Seniors Still Have Chance to Graduate

By Kayla Dunkman Staff Writer

Dayton Public Schools officials announced last week that students who didn’t pass all five sections of the Ohio Graduation Test or failed to earn enough other credits to graduate will have a chance to walk in a special graduation ceremony later this summer.

Willie McGrady, executive director for school operations for DPS, said that Superintendent Percy Mack came up with the idea.

"With all of the controversy around the OGT, Mack remembered that at a school in Georgia, they had a summer graduation that gave students who couldn’t graduate earlier the opportunity to march," McGrady said.

John Boston, whose daughter Tatyanna Pollard is a Patterson Career Center honor student and eligible for the summer graduation, said he is happy about the new ceremony, but still wishes DPS could have made an exception and let the students walk at the annual ceremony.

"It’s not the same," Boston said. "They aren’t with their peers and classmates that they went to school with."

Linda Oda, community information officer for Springboro Community Schools said Springboro is not considering a summer graduation because it would affect too few students.

"Our situation is different from Dayton’s in that only one student can’t walk because of OGT scores," Oda said, " but I think it’s great that DPS is doing this and still honoring those students."

But Dennis Morrison, superintendent of Beavercreek City Schools, said that his district is not considering a separate summer graduation. "If we have a student that doesn’t meet the requirements, they don’t march."

Details for the Dayton ceremony have not been announced.

Contact this reporter at kdunkman@coxohio.com.

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