“The valedictorian shall be the eligible student with the highest weighted grade-point average for four years of high school,” states a school district policy.
Datta has a 5.895 grade point average with classmate Tyler Scott Franklin coming in second with a 5.64. The 16-year-old was able to finish school early began she began taking high school courses in middle school.
The valedictorian is award a 1 year college scholarship from the state, but Datta won’t be receiving the scholarship even though she has the highest grade point average. Instead, the title and scholarship will go to
District officials say they have created the title “Valedictorian – Three-Year” especially for Datta. “We’re doing what we can to extend an additional honor within accordance of school board policy. I’m not going to say that this has been an easy situation. This is something that is new for all of us. We’ve not faced this situation before,” said district spokeswoman Megan Overman.
“This really diminishes the value of the valedictorian title,” Datta says.
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