AMY Robertson was only a few weeks into her new job as principal of Pittsburgh High School in Kansas when students at the school’s newspaper noticed something weird.
She was highly qualified for the job, with a glittering resume and sparkling work history, but when the five Year 11s and one Year 12 student started researching her for an article, they couldn’t find the university she claimed to have attended.
Ms Robertson said she had a masters and doctorate degree from a place called Corllins University, but when the students looked it up, the website didn’t work.
There was also no sign of a physical address.
It was the beginning of the end for Ms Robertson, who started at the school on March 6 and lasted less than a month before resigning yesterday.
“She was going to be the head of our school, and we wanted be assured that she was qualified and had the proper credentials,” student Trina Paul told the Kansas City Star.
“There were some things that just didn’t quite add up,” agreed her colleague, 17-year-old Connor Balthazor, when speaking to the Washington Post.
He explained they knew they were onto something when they double-checked the existence of Corllins University with the US Department of Education, and the search came up blank.
The students began a weeks-long investigation into Ms Robertson’s background, questioning the legitimacy of every detail listed in her education and work history.
Robertson had been living in Dubai for 20 years before she was hired at Pittsburgh High School, and claims to have headed an education consulting firm.
However, when she faced a student interview, the article said she “presented incomplete answers, conflicting dates and inconsistencies in her report”.
Eventually, the students were able to reveal Corllins University was nothing more than a “diploma mill”, where people could buy any kind of university degrees, diplomas and certificates online.
Furthermore, they discovered she was never actually licensed to teach in Kansas.
“The kids had never gone through someone like this before,” local superintendent Destry Brown told the Kansas City Star.
However, he encouraged them to seek answers, telling reporters: “I want our kids to have real-life experiences, whether it’s welding or journalism.”
School journalism adviser Emily Smith said she is “very proud” of her students.
“Everybody kept telling them, ‘stop poking your nose where it doesn’t belong,’” she told the Washington Post.
“They were at a loss that something that was so easy for them to see was waiting to be noticed by adults.”
“All of this was completely overlooked,” Mr Balthazor agreed.
“All of the shining reviews did not have these crucial pieces of information … you would expect your authority figures to find this.”
Sounds like a Disney caper. What a scoop! Trump should invite them to the white house tbh ---