S.F. board hands out diplomas after state bungles test

The San Francisco school board bucked state law Friday, voting unanimously during an emergency meeting to give 107 students their high school diplomas even though they hadn’t passed the California High School Exit Exam — a test the state stopped offering.

The decision was a moral obligation that superseded the letter of the law, board members said.

“This is a problem wholly created by the state of California,” said board member Jill Wynns. “I’m just proud we’re fixing something for our students.”

The school board amended the district’s graduation requirements after learning that at least 30 students saw their acceptance to a four-year college rescinded because they hadn’t passed the Exit Exam. In June, state education officials canceled their summer administration of the test, which had been scheduled for July, amid a larger debate over the exam’s efficacy.

The board decided to call Friday’s emergency meeting to resolve the issue before colleges and universities start the fall semester. They were mindful of additional students unable to join the military or pursue job training and other opportunities until they had a high school diploma.

After the vote, district officials handed out several diplomas to five students who were present. With “Pomp and Circumstance” playing in the background, Krissia Martinez stood to get her diploma, shaking board members’ hands.

“Now I can follow my dream,” she said. “That’s why I came to the United States.”

The vote was the culmination of a long week of political finagling as local and state leaders sought to address the thousands of students across the state who were in limbo, unable to take a test that was still required for graduation. Other school districts may follow San Francisco’s lead, said board Vice President Matt Haney.

State Department of Education officials put the Exit Exam on hold while the Legislature considered a measure that would suspend the test as a graduation requirement for three years, starting with the class of 2015. The bill, however, wouldn’t take effect until Jan. 1, meaning students from the class of 2015 would have to wait until then to get a diploma.

State Superintendent Tom Torlakson said he didn’t want to renew the expired $11 million annual contract to continue administering the test when the Legislature was likely to suspend the graduation requirement.

On Friday, state Attorney General Kamala Harris lambasted that decision.

“As the result of a thoughtless bureaucratic blunder, thousands of high school graduates face the prospect of not being able to enroll in college, serve their country through the military, or pursue other professional goals,” Harris said in a statement.

She said she would be working with state leaders to “fix this injustice immediately and ensure our students are given the opportunity to pursue their educational and professional dreams.”

The governor and the state Board of Education president also weighed in.

“Students who have been accepted into college should not be prevented from starting class this fall because of a test cancellation they could not control,” Gov. Jerry Brown and President Mike Kirst said in a joint statement. “The administration is working with the Legislature to resolve the problem and ensure these students begin their college careers.”

Legislative leaders echoed that, saying they would propose urgency legislation as soon as the Legislature returns from recess Monday.