Poll of the Day > Black Mom is SUING because her Kid had to SHARE Valedictorian with a WHITE Kid!

(+) Yeah! (+)

An African-American mother is SUING a Mississippi School claiming they forced her well deserved daughter's valedictorian title with a WHITE Student with "inferior" grades!!

Jasmine Shepard shared her honours with a white student in Cleveland whose name only goes by "H.B" in May 2016. Sherry, her mother says the student had a lower grade point average but the school says their averages were "identical".

The suit claims the honour was racially motivated and states "Prior to 2016, all of Cleveland High School's valedictorians were white. As a result of the school's official's unprecedented action of making an African American student share the valedictorian award with a white student"

The lawyer for Cleveland School District called it "frivolous" as the students had an equal GPA

But Sherry begs to differ and she could calculate the averages as she's known the other student since middle school and said "These children have been attending school with each other since middle school. We know the schedule, we know what they take, and we have a good idea where the discrepancy lies"

The "Justice for Jasmine" facebook page however, Sherry admitted she did not know the other student's GPA and said "It's interesting to me that the Cleveland School District can tell the media that there was a "tie" when they have yet to tell me as Jasmine's parent, even when i asked!"

Sherry also said that Jasmine was forced to give her speech AFTER the other student and was told to walk BEHIND her to the podium. She said "A child, when they earn honours, they are entitled to receive them. There is no inclusion in the Cleveland school district. When the district wants something, they just take it"

She is suing for an unspecified monetary damages and for Jasmine to be declared "sole valedictorian"

Do you think it's suspicious that the first black valedictorian at this high school tied with a white student? let's see what people think

Jasmine and Sherry -

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/07/02/03/41F5078500000578-0-image-a-98_1498964342507.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/07/02/03/41F5079800000578-0-image-a-96_1498964329893.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/07/02/03/41F5078A00000578-0-image-a-97_1498964335287.jpg
---

I think the mother wants to make a quick buck.
---

Since I go to REAL schools... I am unfamiliar with what Valedictoria means. Please elaborate.
---

Lokarin posted...

Since I go to REAL schools... I am unfamiliar with what Valedictoria means. Please elaborate.

Kid who got the highest grades in the class gets a special hat.
---

Lightning Bolt posted...

Lokarin posted...

Since I go to REAL schools... I am unfamiliar with what Valedictoria means. Please elaborate.

Kid who got the highest grades in the class gets a special hat.

So naturally if there is a tie, it would be shared
---

How could there possibly be a tie?

MICHALECOLE posted...

How could there possibly be a tie?

There's only one highest grade... 100%
---

Lokarin posted...

MICHALECOLE posted...

How could there possibly be a tie?

There's only one highest grade... 100%

Even if that's true (which it's not), there is no way they had exactly the same grades in all of their classes

MICHALECOLE posted...

Lokarin posted...

MICHALECOLE posted...

How could there possibly be a tie?

There's only one highest grade... 100%

Even if that's true (which it's not), there is no way they had exactly the same grades in all of their classes

Then there should be only one. Now that that is cleared up, what is the actual problem.
---

That's what I would like to know. Not much is told from the story. Classic duckbear.

My high school graduation had one valedictorian and three salutatorian. I assume even if weighted and un-weighted grades/GPA were the same, there would be other factors to make one student look "better" than the other (i.e. more extra curricular activities, community services, etc)

Full Throttle posted...

Sherry also said that Jasmine was forced to give her speech AFTER the other student and was told to walk BEHIND her to the podium. She said "A child, when they earn honours, they are entitled to receive them. There is no inclusion in the Cleveland school district. When the district wants something, they just take it"

For odd ball situations like this I would say leave it to the students to come to an agreement on who to speak/walk first. For the walking through, they could have also just walk side-by-side if it makes that big of a deal.
---

You can have different grades in different classes and still get the same average grade in the end.
---

GPA isn't the most precise tool there is. A 90 and a 93 end up the same A- GPA score, over dozens of classes all that rounding off can lead to some "error" in GPA scores where one student consistently did a few points better than another one but both got the same grade. Heck, could even have cases where one student was a few points better 95% of the time but the other student was ~5 points better in 2 or 3 classes and ends up w/ higher GPA.
If the school says they have the same GPA, I can believe that. Unless they've given a reason to distrust them.

Full Throttle posted...

Jasmine Shepard shared her honours with a white student in Cleveland whose name only goes by "H.B" in May 2016.

Wait, what?! THE one and only H.B.?! Her daughter should be HONORED to share the stage with the personification of perfection himself!
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LoMDRSoETjQ/maxresdefault.jpg

Full Throttle posted...

But Sherry begs to differ and she could calculate the averages as she's known the other student since middle school and said "These children have been attending school with each other since middle school. We know the schedule, we know what they take, and we have a good idea where the discrepancy lies"

The "Justice for Jasmine" facebook page however, Sherry admitted she did not know the other student's GPA and said "It's interesting to me that the Cleveland School District can tell the media that there was a "tie" when they have yet to tell me as Jasmine's parent, even when i asked!"

So...that about settles the matter, then. How is this still a thing?

Full Throttle posted...

Sherry also said that Jasmine was forced to give her speech AFTER the other student and was told to walk BEHIND her to the podium. She said "A child, when they earn honours, they are entitled to receive them. There is no inclusion in the Cleveland school district. When the district wants something, they just take it"

I'm confused here. Are these two placements supposed to be worse? Generally, the more important speaker goes on later. And you'd think if anything, being asked to walk in front is the more respectful position, as then you're "leading the way" and so forth. (duckbear's telling of the story is hard to follow here; I'm assuming by the use of the pronoun "her," that Sherry was the one who the other student was walking behind as I don't know the gender of H.B.)
In any case, gives the impression that the mom was going to find offense no matter what order the school went with. The mom would make a great PotD poster.

Full Throttle posted...

She is suing for an unspecified monetary damages and for Jasmine to be declared "sole valedictorian"
Do you think it's suspicious that the first black valedictorian at this high school tied with a white student?

I think this is really petty, a blatant attempt to extort the school for money (why do you need monetary "damages"?!), and if I were H.B. or H.B.'s parents, I'd be really pissed that this woman was trying to deny me / my kid of a hard-earned once in a lifetime achievement. What a horrible person.

Full Throttle posted...

Sherry admitted she did not know the other student's GPA

/story
---

Lokarin posted...

Since I go to REAL schools... I am unfamiliar with what Valedictoria means. Please elaborate.

Uh... pretty sure all schools have them. Public, private, charter, etc. If you graduated high school and attended your graduation, it'd be the student(s) who gave a speech at some point.

MICHALECOLE posted...

How could there possibly be a tie?

Because two people can have the same GPA.

MICHALECOLE posted...

Even if that's true (which it's not), there is no way they had exactly the same grades in all of their classes

That's not how it works. GPA is based on a net grade between ALL of their classes, it doesn't mean that they each had to have an A+ in World History and a B in Math, because if one had an A+ in Math with a B in World History, it averages out the same.
---

Zeus posted...

Uh... pretty sure all schools have them. Public, private, charter, etc. If you graduated high school and attended your graduation, it'd be the student(s) who gave a speech at some point

All schools... or all US schools?
Because we dont have strange hats or speechs around here.
---

Foppe posted...

Zeus posted...

Uh... pretty sure all schools have them. Public, private, charter, etc. If you graduated high school and attended your graduation, it'd be the student(s) who gave a speech at some point

All schools... or all US schools?
Because we dont have strange hats or speechs around here.

Pretty much all Western schools have a version of it and I assume most Eastern ones have some variant as well. Usually it involves a speech or some other symbolic gesture in addition to public recognition.

While I'm usually not one to link to Wikipedia as a source, you will notice that it lists Canada as being one of the countries to have it
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valedictorian

It is an oration at commencement (in Canada, called convocation in university and graduation in high school) exercises in U.S. and some Canadian high schools, colleges, and universities delivered by one of the graduates.

If you're British, you have a version as well.

Fun side-note:
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-high-school-valedictorians-dont-become-really-successful-2017-5
---

So USA, some Canadian and UK got it, thereby the whole world got it, copy that.
---

MICHALECOLE posted...

Lokarin posted...

MICHALECOLE posted...

How could there possibly be a tie?

There's only one highest grade... 100%

Even if that's true (which it's not), there is no way they had exactly the same grades in all of their classes

How is that not true. At least in my state the highest grade you can earn is a 4.0

In my school we didn't have a valadictorian because there were multiple people with 4.0s

The year I graduated, my school had three Valedictorians.
---

Ha I love when stories like this come out and the one initially screaming racism is revealed to be the racist