Some parents are questioning whether their child received the appropriate financial aid and scholarship money, given the wrong GPA was included in transcripts sent to colleges.
Palmer High School.PALMER – Some parents approached high school administrators in the past because they suspected their children’s grade point averages were incorrect, but they were told nothing was wrong.
Then this week, the school administration revealed that the GPAs for Palmer High School seniors and juniors have been miscalculated, and now some parents are questioning whether their child received the appropriate financial aid and scholarship money, given the wrong GPA was included in their transcript.
Barbara A. Barry questioned her son Michael’s GPA at the beginning of his senior year, but was told by the administration that it was correct.
“I was surprised and upset to find out last week that it was calculated incorrectly and he had been eligible to apply for membership into the National Honor Society. He has since done so and was accepted,” said Barry, who said they have asked the school to notify Bryant University, where Michael is going next year, about the change.
Barry, a town councilor, said they also are questioning whether the merit award from the college would have been different if college officials had known her son was in the National Honor Society.
Andrea K. Mastalerz said she thought her son Tyler’s GPA was wrong two years ago and also brought it to the attention of school officials, only to be reassured there wasn’t a problem. She thought it should have been higher given his courseload of advanced placement and honors classes.
Though she said her son Tyler got into his schools of choice, she wonders if he might have been eligible for more scholarship money. Tyler will head to Syracuse University in the fall.
“I feel for the kids,” Mastalerz said. “My hope I that this will all be figured out. I do have a child that will be there for the next four years. I don’t want her to go through what her brother’s going through.”
She is the daughter of School Committee member James L. St. Amand.
Parents were notified in letters sent home with students on Wednesday about the problem with the GPAs.
“We are conducting a comprehensive review of all of the seniors’ transcripts as well as the transcripts of students who have now been identified as eligible for the National Honor Society. Procedures have been put into place to contact the colleges on behalf of any student who has come forward regarding acceptance or eligibility for financial aid,” the letter from Principal Mary Lou Callahan reads.
Maureen GallagherSchool Committee Chairwoman Maureen R. Gallagher estimates she has fielded at least 20 calls from upset parents.
The problem began two years ago when a semester of credits was not logged into the school’s computer system, officials said. But it was finally discovered in March when the guidance director noticed that 89 of the 93 graduating seniors did not have enough credits to graduate.
Gallagher said the issue also affects 105 juniors.
After the courses were finally inputted, the GPAs changed, some for the better, some for the worse, according to Gallagher.
Gallagher has an issue with how the news was delivered.
“The problem was that the school did not notify parents right away,” Gallagher said.
News about the GPA issue began circulating after seven seniors were told last week that they now are eligible to join the National Honor Society as a result of their reconfigured GPAs. Five juniors also will be able to apply to join this fall.
“It spiraled pretty much out of control last week as each student told another. The GPAs, number one, were calculated incorrectly and transcripts had gone out to colleges already. Some didn’t get into their colleges of choice, and we’re not sure if it was because the GPA was incorrect, or was it just a coincidence,” Gallagher said.
“The person or persons that are responsible for this should be held for accountable. I will not let this drop. Someone has to advocate for the kids,” she added.
Gallagher said the amount of financial aid and scholarships students receive are “a huge factor” in today’s economy.
Gallagher said the technology department is responsible for logging grades into the computer system.
Palmer High School Principal's Letter to Parents on GPA Errors
Superintendent Gerald A. Fournier, who blamed the problem on “human error,” said the missing semester was from when the current seniors were sophomores.
Fournier said who exactly is responsible for the mistake is still being investigated.
Despite the miscalculation, Fournier said the class ranks for students in the top 20 stayed the same. Fournier acknowledged that some parents had suspected a GPA was incorrect in the past, but said the concerns were not specific enough to reveal the problem.
He said they are trying to figure out how many students were harmed by the GPA miscalculation, whether by not being admitted to college, or if their opportunities for scholarships or financial aid were reduced.