Credit deserved

The parent of a high school student with autism spectrum disorder contacted us after she was informed by her son’s school that he would not receive credit for one of his courses because he had not met course expectations. The mother’s understanding was that her son had passed all tests and assignments. Ombudsman staff spoke with a superintendent and encouraged the board to review the mother’s concerns and provide any relevant documentation to ensure a transparent decision-making process. The board determined that although a teacher had concerns about the student’s performance, there was no documentation to show he had not met expectations; as a result, he received the credit with a grade of 84%.