BONNIE
SNYDER
Voices
HUFFINGTON
08.12.12
High-Grade
Litigation
G
RADES HAVE ALWAYS been a relative matter. Students in every school grumble when they feel like
they got stuck in the “tough” class, and every teacher in America has probably been approached by a
disgruntled student demanding to know, “Why did
you give me that grade?” (For the uninitiated, the
pat response is: “I didn’t give you your grade. You
earned it.”) ¶ Here’s a novel approach for a student
unhappy with his report card: sue. That’s right, a
high school student in New York state is suing his
school district over a C+ in Chemistry. The student
contends he deserved an A, and the suit claims that
his awarded grade caused him severe physical and
emotional suffering, along with decreased college
admission chances, scholarship hopes and even future employment opportunities.
ILLUSTRATION BY EDA AKALTUN
Bonnie
Snyder is
an author
and college/
career
consultant.