Stipulation will allow disabled students to graduate

MAT-SU -- Students with disabilities throughout Alaska will be able to graduate this spring, whether they have passed the state's high school exit exam or not. Attorney General Gregg Renkes and Education Commissioner Roger Sampson filed a joint stipulation this month in U.S. District Court based on an agreement made by the state of Alaska and the lawyers who filed a class action lawsuit challenging the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam.

According to the Alaska State Department of Education and Early Development many as 500 high school seniors with disabilities statewide have not passed the HSGQE. Before the stipulation was in place, these students would not have received a diploma. Children with disabilities and their parents filed the class action lawsuit on March 16; the defendants to the action include the Alaska Sate Department of Education and Early Development and the Anchorage School District. The lawsuit charges that the test violates federal and state law because it discriminates against students with disabilities.

As part of the stipulation, any senior who has an Individualized Education Program and has met all other requirements for a diploma will be eligible to graduate this spring. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District has been analyzing student records to ensure that all seniors with disabilities that are eligible for a diploma are slated for spring graduation.

"We don't have an accurate count or estimate yet," said district spokesperson Kim Floyd. "But it's fair to say the district is assessing how the changes will impact the students."

Floyd says the district should have an accurate count of how many Mat-Su students with disabilities within the next few weeks.

While districts around Alaska prepare their students for graduation, the two sides of the lawsuit are preparing for negotiations. As part of the stipulation, the state of Alaska and the plaintiff's lawyers, Disability Law Center of Alaska, will enter negotiation to try to resolve the issues raised in the lawsuit. The first negotiation meeting is May 18.

Contact Jen Ransom at jen.ransom@frontiersman.com.