May 7, 2007
PPS response to letter to editor
In the editorial section of Sunday’s P-I,†Michael Giles writes on the importance of education to Petersburg’s future, and raises the question as to whether school uniforms is a priority item in view of other issues before our schools.† Today,†Petersburg Public Schools†responds to “a few factual errors” in the editorial.
Micheal Giles:
With all the development going on it would be hard for anyone not to want to get in on a good thing early. Except one thing. What is it about Petersburg that drives people away? Why donít people want to live here? Is it the lack of recreational activities that city has to offer for youth. No mall, no movies, no arcade, no Go Cart Track, not even a SKATING RINK anymore. These things are small to some but, they are key pieces in communities that help keep kids out of trouble.
The answer could be so simple since the Petersburg School system isnít accredited anymore. This means your child could go to school and graduate and only receive a certificate of attendance. This kind of diploma is equal to a GED. In fact instead of working on getting the schoolsí accreditation back, they are now focusing on ìuniformsî instead. Fashion should be the least worry of the Petersburg School system. Sending ìkidsî out into the REAL WORLD not prepared for life is insane. Itís setting them up for failure. These children deserve the same chance to succeed as any other individual. Thatís just being FAIR.
PPS:
The Petersburg Public Schools always have been, and continue to be, accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. At present, only Walnut Hill Elementary School is fully accredited by the newer, and different, requirements of the State Standards of Learning, but it is not correct to say that we have “lost” our accreditation.
Secondly, the type of diploma that a graduating student receives is based
on his or her individual performance, not the school’s SOL accreditation
or lack thereof. This is also what a college looks at when evaluating
applicants, as evidenced by the fact that PHS graduates have been accepted
at a variety of institutions of higher learning both within and beyond the
borders of Virginia.
“as evidenced by the fact that PHS graduates have been accepted
at a variety of institutions of higher learning both within and beyond the
borders of Virginia”
this statement from our public schools is true, depending on your time of reference. no one disputes the fact that in 1957 with a phs diploma, a student could get in anywhere in the country. what about the 2007 graduate? anecdotally, a friend of mine told me about a student she knew at phs who was a senior and had a 4.0 GPA in 2006 but was rejected by spellman because her diploma was from phs and spellman does not accept freshman from unaccreditied high schools.
There are a few inaccuracies in the one posted comment on this issue.
First, a certificate of attendance is not automatically issued to a student who meets the state’s requirements for a diploma and it is not equivalent to a GED (actually it doesn’t exist as a legitimate exiting document). A GED is generally accepted as equivalent to a high school diploma. A student who is issued a certificate of completion (not certificate of attendance) which is authorized by the state Board of Education, says the student has completed a program of study approved by the local school board (i.e., the Petersburg school board).
Second, the schools in Petersburg are no longer accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The division voluntarily relinquished its schools’ accredition and membership last fall.
Finally, some colleges and universities may not accept a diploma from an unaccredited high school as meeting their minimum requirements for admission but not all. There is no universal rule. Each state or college/university sets its own requirements. Students who are home schooled and never set foot in an accredited school are being accepted at colleges and universities across the country. Students who graduate from Petersburg High School should not give up on their future plans regardless of whether the high school is accredited or not.
I repeat here a comment from john m in†the thread, Proposal: the gradual implementation of school uniforms.
It may be the case that the school can focus on both SOLs and also the benefits of school uniforms in working toward SOLs?