Teachers claim hundreds from area high school will graduate even though they shouldn't

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Out of the 700 or so students set to graduate from Chavez High School, at least 300 of them don’t have the required credits or time spent in the classroom to graduate.

That’s according to two teachers who are blowing the whistle on an alleged scheme to keep the high school’s graduation rate up.

“It’s their way of bringing up the numbers so that the graduation rate is not so low,” said a Chavez High School teacher who asked not to be identified.

The teacher is the second one from that school to tell us about what seniors were told during an assembly last Friday.

“That this was their last opportunity to graduate,” the teacher said. “For the next four days, they would spend two hours in a credit recovery class and they would get their credits back and be able to graduate.”

H.I.S.D. says students who take advantage of the credit recovery classes must demonstrate to a certified teacher in the content area they failed that they have mastered the content.

But this teacher says only two people at the high school are determining who will graduate.

“That’s my understanding one teacher and the registrar,” said the teacher.

So then how this teacher wonders is H.I.S.D.’s statement to us true about only a teacher certified in the subject matter the student failed in decides if they pass or not.

“I don’t know any teacher that has that much of a background in teaching,” the teacher said.

This teacher and others are upset over the situation.

“Not wanting any part of it because it feels like it’s not the right thing to do under TEA standards,” said the teacher.

But H.I.S.D. tells us no student will graduate without demonstrating that they have mastered the course content met the state testing and graduation plan requirements and met the minimum attendance requirement.

But this teacher and others say it’s all a numbers game.

“Right now that’s all it is,” the teacher said. “Let’s get the graduation rate up and let’s get them out the door.”