By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Entitlement 101: Cheat in honors class & sue school to stay in the class
Placeholder Image

A sophomore at Sequoia High in Redwood City in an English honors class is caught cheating and is kicked out of the class. His parents sue as it may hurt his chances of getting into an Ivy League school.

Eight students at Leland High in San Jose are suspended because they were caught cheating after stealing final exam tests for Advanced Placement Statistics and Advanced Placement Economics. Some of the students were upset because - drum roll - they feared it might prevent them from getting accepted at an Ivy League school.

It’s got to make you wonder what type of education they are expecting to receive at an Ivy League school. In case anyone is keeping track, an inordinate number of Wall Street types and career politicians have come from the Ivy League which tells you a bit about the pedigree and character traits of some who are hell bent in getting into one of the universities.

Both cheating incidents hit the news in the past two months.

In the Redwood City incident, there were two students kicked out of the honors program and put into regular English classes. The parents that elected to sue, according to the Palo Alto Daily News, did so because they feared the incident would jeopardize their son’s education future plus they pointed to what they characterized in their lawsuit as vague and contradictory policies.

The vague policy they are referring to states that “any incident of cheating or plagiarism will result in the student removal of class with no exceptions.” The contradictory part refers to an old two-strike policy that had been updated but the older version was attached to the honor pledge that the students signed.

Originally the sophomore also was going to be denied access to the school’s International Baccalaureate English classes when he became an upper classman, receive an “F” for the honors class,  and the cheating incident would be noted in his school records. Then the school backed off and said that due to a loophole, the sophomore could enter the International Baccalaureate program and the fact he cheated would not be on his school record. However, he still would be kicked out of the honors class.

The parents said no way. So they did what any parent who wants to teach their child that entitlement is above honor. They sued.

The parents admit their son cheated. Even so, the parents apparently believe they are suing on principle. Suing when you break the rules and you don’t like the punishment isn’t exactly character building.

But, hey, one can’t let anything stand in the way of getting an Ivy league education including rules, honesty, and integrity.



This column is the opinion of managing editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinion of The Bulletin or Morris Newspaper Corp. of CA.  He can be contacted at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com or 209-249-3519.