Schools
Despite Error, Briggs Students' Diplomas Valid
Board of Ed rules that students acted in "good faith" that the "coursework they completed was sufficient to meet graduation requirements."
Although many of them failed to meet exact graduation requirements, due to the fact that they had received credit for non-credit coursework, students who graduated from Richard C. Briggs High School in June will keep their diplomas.
A of the school revealed that 22 of the 26 members of the Class of 2011 had received credit for a college preparatory course that they were not supposed to get credit for. The students received credit for the course due to an apparent error by the school’s former principal, Alaine Lane, who had devised an “alternate means” for students to gain sufficient credits without the Board of Education or school administration’s knowledge.
As per a report in the Norwalk Hour, the Board of Ed ruled Tuesday that Briggs students had relied "in good faith" that the “coursework they completed was sufficient to meet graduation requirements."
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Assistant Superintendent Anthony Daddona said although the Briggs High School administration has some latitude in how it approaches academics, it nevertheless must follow board guidelines and make changes to curriculum in consultation with central office, according to the Hour report.
member Sue Haynie reportedly asked whether Lane, who had had been principal at Briggs for nearly a decade, could have erroneously given other students credit for non-credit courses during her tenure at the school, to which Daddona reportedly said yes, although his review was focused on transcripts from the 2010-2011 school year.
Find out what's happening in Norwalkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The recent audit of the school also , which have since been addressed by the Board of Education and school administration. The internal audit conducted in July and August revealed sloppy bookkeeping practices at Briggs, however no improprieties have been found.
According to a previous report in the Hour, the audit revealed "issues on accountability, management and documentation" of school funds, including "questionable purchases of reimbursement."
In response to the situation school officials have reportedly recommended numerous changes to how school funds are tracked, including increased oversight from the central office.
